We Will Always Be Us
by sorachicken
Summary: A whole civilization must begin anew after the fall of Cocoon. And they look to the former l'Cie to help them adjust to a new life. With the whole world watching, how can one be sure of right and wrong? Hope x Lightning
1. After We Wake

Hello Everyone! This here is my very first FanFic. I just felt very inspired to write (during finals of all times… haha)

This story takes place after the fall of Cocoon, and I'm afraid that once FFXIII-2 comes out, it will greatly contradict this story, but oh well! I'm trying to write everyone very in-character and I'm trying to make the situation seem as realistic as possible. So I hope you enjoy it!

Your feedback is greatly encouraged. I have written since I was very young, but I've never actually wrote for an audience, so I anticipate your thoughts. :)

Oh, and I think I'm supposed to say Final Fantasy XIII and all its characters and odd names for lands and people and whatnot belong to Square Enix.

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Believing that the entire world would have been crushed… fearing that friends and family and all of humankind could have been swept away… made KNOWING that they were alive and amongst one another an incredibly cherished reunion.

Sazh glanced at Lightning -the ex-soldier girl- who was smiling as her sister approached with a titanic-by-comparison Snow; Sazh could not even recall the curt young woman who was ready to leave any slow, "old-timers" (like himself) behind in the dust. In front of him was a person who seriously cared about others, and would carry the world on her shoulders to save humanity.

Dajh hugged his Daddy's head as 'Chocobo' buzzed around them excitedly.

"SO!" Snow chimed, "Maybe we should see how the rest of the world is doing, huh?" He looked around for the approval of his friends as Serah clutched his arm. A few hundred yards away were the survivors of Cocoon's fall.

"Oh," Lightning began, "Hope, your father-"

Hope nodded. "Yeah, he might be over there." And with that, the group headed toward the remains of Cocoon's civilization.

As they all walked together, Lightning looked skyward, to the small, crystallized planet. "Vanille, Fang. Thank you."

"Thank you," Hope echoed. He turned to Lightning, and upon catching her eye, gave her a warm smile. She returned it, and then kept trekking forward.

As the group approached, they could see soldiers huddled around groups of people, at the base of Cocoon's crystallization. They tightly clutched their guns, murmuring suggestions of safe places to go, and what directions to head. Although they tried to stay true to their purpose of protecting the people, they too were afraid and unsure of this new world they simply fell upon. One soldier noticed the group heading their way, all smiles.

"Hey!" the soldier spoke, quickly advancing on the group. "Are you all okay?" A few heads turned to the newcomers.

"We're fine," Snow said, speaking for the group. "How is everything here?"

"Well-" the soldier began until another voice broke from the crowd.

"Aren't they those l'Cie? The ones who caused this?"

The soldier's attention was visibly heightened as he gasped, "That's- You're them?"

Snow raised a hand in defense, "Woah, settle down there-"

"At ease, soldier," a voice spoke from within the crowd.

Lightning's eyes widened as a handicapped, but very alive, Yaag Rosch emerged. With a crutch and a heavily bandaged chest, the man approached, a small smirk upon his lips. The soldier respectfully bowed out of his way.

Hope was about to speak when Rosch stated, "How many times can a man die? I still have yet to know." He then addressed the crowd, "Not to worry. These people are our friends. Had they not acted against the fal'Cie, Orphan, we all would have surely perished. To these people, we owe our thanks."

The crowd murmured in response, surprise evident amongst those who did not know the commander's changed feelings toward the l'Cie.

"Wait," another soldier spoke up, speaking to the group, "You came from the direction of those crystals… the ones of l'Cie who had completed their focus… were those you?"

Hope spoke this time, "That's right. We, uh, woke up."

"Yeah, turns out crystal sleep isn't eternal after all," Sazh added.

"Is that so?" Rosch contemplated.

"Rosch," Lightning stepped to the man, "We offer our services to you."

As Rosch raised his eyebrows in surprise, Lightning elaborated, "I can't help but feel partially responsible for the destruction of Cocoon. But, my friends and I… we have explored this land. We can help restart civilization here."

Rosch smiled at the humble request. "Then, I believe it should be me begging YOU. Such knowledge and experience is invaluable to the safety of our people."

"THEN WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?" Snow bellowed, pounding his fists together. Hope rolled his eyes half-heartedly at the neanderthal of a man. Suddenly, he could have sworn he felt the earth tremble a bit as pounding footsteps accelerated their way. There was then a cry of, "Is that our leader?" that came simultaneous with the crowd parting for Gadot, speeding toward them like a raging behemoth. Yuj and Maqui weren't far behind as they flailed their hands in the air excitedly. Lebreau brought up the rear, walking and shaking her head at the overexcited boys. A modified rifle was slung over her shoulder.

"I can't believe it!" Maqui skipped over to his beloved leader. "NORA makes it through another one!"

"And it looks like Mr. Hero got back his fiancé!" Gadot said while throwing a hearty punch into Snow's chest. "Well done."

Lightning, for once, smiled at the sight of NORA. She used to hate their boldness, finding it rather obnoxious that the careless crew thought they were invincible. But to see that through all of the hardship, they were STILL surviving, Lightning not only felt relieved, but impressed. She watched as her little sister became reacquainted with the motley crew that followed the orders of her fiancé.

Yaag Rosch cleared his throat expectantly, "If I may… I would like to know your plan of action. What course shall we take? How do we prepare defenseless citizens?"

Lightning refocused her attention, "Right. We stay together. The larger and louder we are, the less likely we will be attacked. The only creatures we ought to make an effort to avoid are those," she pointed toward a large adamantoise, whose footsteps caused the earth to tremor. "The others… we cut through, or frighten away in the process. I think the best place to relocate would be South, to the Yaschas Massif."

"Alright, l'Cie-"

"We aren't l'Cie anymore," Sazh interjected.

"Apologies. It's a habit," Rosch gave a sheepish look. Readjusting himself, he corrected, "Well then. Lead the way."


	2. Focus

Chapter 2! I wrote 3 chapters starting yesterday, so I may as well post them up. I hope you enjoy!

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Hope woke up to his campy surroundings, early in the morning. He had found trouble sleeping the past few nights. Learning that his father did not survive Cocoon's fall troubled the fourteen-year-old. A soldier had explained to him with regret that Bartholomew Estheim had been imprisoned for harboring l'Cie (ironically, Hope and his friends). The last they knew of him was that he had still been imprisoned in downtown Bodhum, and was left behind among other prisoners. Although years of hating his father calloused him, and the joy of being alive with the people he learned to care for the most numbed him, the pain was still there. It still surprised Hope that in a few short weeks, he had become an orphan. Before, he was just a normal, slightly spoiled boy, who took his lavish lifestyle and parents for granted. Hope gave a small shudder, remembering his former self. He didn't know that kid anymore. He didn't _like _him much, either.

The trek the survivors took a few days prior was nothing short of difficult, yet comical. It was a hassle, trying to make sure that those who weren't armed -the majority of the civilians- were covered from danger. While the group made up of nearly four thousand followed Lightning's orders to stay "large and loud," it didn't take too long for some of the tricky beasts to realize that most of these humans were no more terrorizing than a band of sheep. While the others patrolled around the group or guided the way, Hope stayed with the children, being especially empathetic toward their fears. He reassured them that they would be safe, telling stories of Light the Powerful, Sazh the Gun-slinger, Fang the Fearless, Vanille the Cheerful, and Snow the… Caveman. Hope pointed each of them out as the children listened intently, their eyes filled with admiration. Their parents, similarly, were filled with gratitude for Hope's tales of perseverance. In a way, these stories helped Hope get through the journey, too. It kept his mind off of the loss of his father. Eventually, the defenseless "band of sheep" became a little more bold. Some of them picked up large sticks and stones to ward creatures away.

Upon reaching the Yaschas Massif, a Snow-led team NORA spent a couple hours clearing the area of enemies. However, it wasn't too long before large groups of people, perhaps spotting an intruding Gorgonopsid, would descend upon the ugly beast like a tidal wave.

Sazh had shaken his head and chuckled, "Crazy how people can turn into barbarians in desperate times."

Yuj elbowed him saying, "Aw, come on, man. I think they're just facing their fears and taking out a little frustration. It looks like fun!"

By day's end, there were few injuries to be had, and people had begun to set up camp, making use of the fallen Cocoon's supplies and extra clothes and bags as an attempt to find comfort in the savage world.

Hope sat at one of the Massif's many cliffs, finally giving himself time to think about what he was afraid to recall. "Dad, I'm sorry…" he said, hugging his knees to his chest. "Maybe you would have been safe if I never came home." Then again, Hope thought to himself, maybe he never would have missed his father this much if he hadn't gone home that day. "I guess," Hope said softly to the barely-rising sun, "I'm glad I got to see him. Even if it means I'm alone again."

Lightning began to approach the boy. She had seen Hope come to this spot early each morning. At first, she would watch him as he stared quietly at the horizon. The morning before, she found him crying to himself and she had sat beside him, stroking his back in silence. Lightning did not find Hope's behavior unusual. She had been there when he had a bad day, thinking about his mother or the end of the world or his lack of strength. This morning, as she listened to him talk, she decided to come to him again. She had never been much of a talker… much less a comforter. However, in Hope's case she could feel herself reach out to the boy who was so much like herself when she was younger. The one who lost his parents just like she had. Lightning wanted to be there, not to transform him into the calloused woman she had become, but to find some way to preserve his innocence and love of life, as she had somehow been able to do with Serah.

Hope met Lightning's eyes, sensing her approach.

"Hey Light," he smiled meekly at her.

"Hi, Hope," she said back, sitting next to him on his perch.

After a moment of silence, Hope spoke again, "I guess it's good that I miss him. It would hurt less if I didn't, but I think it is better to feel love then to be indifferent."

"Love gives you something to fight for," Lightning spoke. "It was you fighting for your mother and father that made you able to save the world."

Hope glanced up at her. "It was my love for you guys, too." Lightning's eyes flicked down to him as he spoke. "I mean, I couldn't imagine life without any of you guys. I had to protect you."

Lightning placed a reassuring hand on his and smiled softly. "You did."

The two sat in silence, watching the rising sun. Lightning glanced at the many encampments, being patrolled by former Guardian Corp and PSICOM soldiers, each taking shifts to watch over the worn-ragged civilians. Several of the people also had trouble sleeping, Lightning had noticed. Although to her and the rest of her team, this world was a gift, it was no surprise that many of the people felt slighted… their home ripped out from under them. Yet, others still were awed by the blatantly un-Hell-like characteristics that Gran Pulse possessed. People grew up believing this world was evil, and filled with people just waiting to attack. But this world was only inhabited by wild beasts. It was untamed… not evil.

Lightning saw Snow was up, also. Serah laid her head in the man's lap, sleeping without a fear. Sazh and Dajh were passed out, limbs spread outward. Chocobo was nested in Dajh's afro. Gadot was on higher land, sitting and watching the people, a heavy machine gun in his lap. Suddenly, Lightning felt a pressure on her arm. Her heart made a sharp beat, then she realized it was just Hope. He had fallen asleep, reclining on her shoulder for support. Lightning was constantly feeling humbled by the boy. His warmth toward her had always surprised her. Aside from Serah, no one had ever felt comfortable enough to get in her bubble. Well, aside from Snow… but that annoyed her. But Hope, as she was astounded to learn for herself, was very welcome to enter her presence. In a way, she felt like his mother. Or his older sister or something. But it was a little different. It was more like he was an extension of who she was… or the person should could have been in another life. Taking care of Hope was like breathing life into a part of herself that died. A part that was weak and scared, but was so perfect in that vulnerability.

Lightning swept her fingers across the teen's messy, cornsilk-white hair.

The new day began with people rushing about, quickly gathering food and ready to start work for the day. There was definitely a game plan, headed by none other than Sazh. In a way, being with a massive group fighting for survival was surreal, as though it was a very strange vacation. It felt so serious, the need to protect each other and be on the lookout for danger. It was only just beginning to sink in for some people that this was their world and life, now. Their former jobs did not matter. Schools no longer existed. Priorities were flipped in Gran Pulse. Primitive needs such as food and shelter were the things that meant most.

The band of former l'Cie had already mapped out Gran Pulse on their first expedition through the land. Sazh spread it out with soldiers who, in the previous days, replicated it until there were a hundred or so floating around. He described the areas best for sustaining life. Today, he was emphasizing the importance of chocobos and the herds of sheep.

"I think it would be a good investment to keep those guys safe," Sazh stated, "They can take us places quickly and dig up important material. If we're able to, say, create a ranch, we could breed them much quicker and ensure their safety."

As the sun continued to rise, so did opportunity and anticipation. No doubt, there was uncertainty in the air. Will we survive today? Will we find enough food? But the people had a goal in mind. They all shared a Focus.


	3. The World is What We Shape

And finally, the third part of this update! Wish me luck in developing the rest of this story! And again, I hope you enjoy.

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Three Months later…

"NO!" Maqui shouted as oil exploded all over him. Hope muffled a loud laugh. A former PSICOM soldier (no longer donning his helmet) gave the boys a slightly annoyed look, but then instantly eased, rolled his eyes and smiled, returning to his work.

Hope and Maqui were in the Mah'habara cave, dismantling a Pulsian worker for parts. This one had been giving them some extra trouble, as the most valuable parts laid beyond a jammed, damaged outer layer of metal.

"Ugh," Maqui moaned staring at the black goop that covered his hands. "Think this one is even worth it?"

Hope chuckled. "Come on," he ushered. "We need everything we can get our hands on!"

A few civilians passed by carrying a load of collected parts.

"Where to?" an ex-soldier asked them as the group approached the Cie'th waystone he was guarding.

"Oerba," one of them answered. The soldier nodded while making a note of the "shipment" in his notebook.

Oerba and Taejin's Tower had been the areas where the greatest efforts of restoration were put forth, mainly because there was plenty to work with. Sure, it had taken a hefty amount of time to convince the beasts residing there that they weren't welcome, but it was worth it. Many people now had a place to stay at night that offered some comfort and shelter from the outside. The tower had been deemed almost a capital of sorts. Most of the operations in progress were headed at Taejin's Tower.

Everyone in Hope's old team had something important to work on throughout the day. Sazh helped maintain his proposed chocobo ranch from months earlier. Dajh stayed with his Daddy, unafraid (or perhaps uncaring) of the wide expanse of untamed territory that was nearby. 'Chocobo' had grown to only slightly shorter than Sazh's height, making him perfect for the boy to ride around. Serah joined Lebreau (and some others who were talented in the food industry in their former lives) in opening a restaurant of sorts. It was free, naturally, but it had plenty of seating and the room that was built for the purpose could hold nearly half of the population. Those who hunted and gathered food brought it to the "restaurant" first, before holding onto shares for themselves. Snow, Gadot, and Yuj worked alongside the ex-soldiers, making sure that operations ran smoothly, and that no feral beast would make away with a human snack. Lightning held high ranking alongside Rosch, overseeing each operation, and forming new ones when others were finished. She pointed out appropriate locations for finding food, gathering parts, and building shelters, while making notes of areas that should be avoided until civilization was stabilized and explorations could be afforded.

Hope, with his knack for machinery mostly worked in the Mah'habara alongside Maqui, salvaging useful parts, and some days building or modifying tools and weaponry. Every so often Lightning would come visit his area of operations, congratulating him on productive days, and telling him to step it up on others.

Hope lived from place to place in the beginning, mostly helping others adjust to the new world. However, in the past month, he found himself almost in a routine. After working in the machine-filled caves, he would go to Oerba and stay at Serah and Lebreau's restaurant. Snow would often burst in and rile up whoever was around to listen. After a big lunch with Snow and the rest of the NORA gang, Hope would normally stop by Sazh's ranch and he often got stuck helping out with odd chocobo-related jobs. For instance, the last time he visited, Sazh was jumping for joy.

"OH! OH-HO-HO! This is very good!" He exclaimed, running around wildly and ruffling some of the giant birds' feathers. "Look, Hope! They're molting." Hope wrinkled his nose in response. 'What…?' he thought to himself.

"See?" Sazh continued while grabbing a handful of plumes. "These can be useful for stuffing pillows, blankets, whatever… Nothing quite like sleeping in a bed of chocobo feathers." And before he knew it, Hope was stuck gathering piles and piles of big yellow feathers.

After that, Hope would return to the Mah'habara to check on the afternoon crew and see if they could use an extra pair of hands, which they often did. He would then return to Oerba, where he would casually catch up with his old team. They'd all make jokes or talk about the day's adventures and frustrations. Although they were heavily incorporated in this new world… the group still felt that a line divided them from everyone else. They were like the misfits, or the sore thumbs, or maybe even the heroes. Either way, people treated them a little different. Everyone knew their names and knew the success of their new civilization relied heavily on the former l'Cie. Some were eased, and some were skeptical, but all had no choice but to trust that the people they once feared would get them through yet another day in Hell.

Lightning was always the last to join the group, and she always seemed the most tired, despite the fact that little physical labor was involved in her role. Hope recognized that Light would probably prefer to just go out in the field and disarm enemy after enemy without a thought in her mind except 'survive' or 'beat the living crap out of this thing.' THAT was how Lightning unwound. But her job of overseeing EVERYTHING and constantly having to worry about whether a certain operation was a good idea or not took its toll on her.

That night, Lightning didn't show up for dinner. The group waited an hour before they decided to begin eating their meal without her. As they were walking out of the restaurant, Lightning was just beginning to approach it. Serah instantly squealed. "Oh, Claire! I just closed up here, but no worries, I can still get you something to eat."

Lightning shook her head. "Don't bother. Rosch knew it'd be a late night and he made sure we were fed."

"So, any news, Sis?" Snow asked.

Lightning made her signature "tch" sound before stating, "Well, some people have been concerned about getting a school started up. But it's a little too early. The people are being spread a bit thin over the expanse of Pulse. We can't afford to have too many operations, or else an entire group could get themselves killed if there aren't enough soldiers to look out for them."

Sazh gave a short laugh. "School, huh? I think some Survival 101 is what these people need to know right now."

Lightning nodded. "The more people armed and prepared, the better. But it's difficult finding the balance between teaching people to fight and having them work and make progress."

Sazh thought for a moment then said, "What do you think about maybe getting people to volunteer themselves one day of the week when they're not busy to do some training?"

"Led by…?" Lightning said skeptically, already rather sure of his answer.

"Why not you, Soldier Girl? You all could go out each day, beat the snot out of some baddies, and bring back whatever you find useful. Food, horns, whatever."

Lightning seemed to contemplate this. "I could really go for beating the snot out of something right now."

"Why not Snow?" Hope offered.

Serah punched the boy's arm. "Hope! Don't encourage her!"

Snow, however, was the one who looked encouraged. "YEAH! Let's go, sis! How 'bout it? A little one on one brawl?" He pounded his fists together in front of chest.

Lightning smirked at the challenge.

Not five minutes later, the group was out watching Lightning and Snow dodge and attack each other on the snow-white plain of crystal outside of Oerba. Passerby people began to stop and observe the amusing exchange while walking home from a long day's work. Snow was good at landing solid blows when he was able. But Lightning was easily faster than the man and could attack much more quickly, despite not being quite as strong. Eventually, Snow was knocked to the ground, as Hope predicted would happen. He had seen Lightning knock Snow's lights out with one swift blow to the head. He was surprised how long Snow had lasted in this fight. Maybe because he was actually prepared to be hit.

Snow groaned. "That all you… got?"

Lightning "tch"ed and smirked at the man laying on the ground.

Sazh chuckled. "Well, we best be goin' then. We had a long day today," he said while putting Dajh on his shoulders. The boy formerly cheering on the brawlers was now beginning to nod off.

Serah smiled. "Yeah, us too." She hoisted Snow up from the ground and Snow gave a wink and a toothy grin to his team before wrapping his arm around Serah and heading for their small living space in Oerba.

Hope and Lightning were soon the only ones left. Lightning rubbed her wrists and checked her body for fresh bruises.

"You okay, there?" Hope asked her, stepping near.

"Yeah. That felt good. I was getting a little rusty…" Lightning stated. Hope gave a short nod, having noticed this.

After he was silent for a while, Lightning turned to the boy. "How you holding up, Hope?"

"Me? Ah, I'm okay…" he blushed, "I'm just thinking, my birthday is tomorrow. I just remembered."

Lightning smiled at him. "You're really growing up."

Hope gave a short laugh, "Not fast enough."

He then felt a bit self-conscious, not sure why he suddenly blurted that.


	4. Great Expectations

Hey everyone! Well, I'm almost finished with finals. I had a humongous thing due for my Game Development class. I nearly died. BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY! Because guess what? I lived. My college did an Undie Run for charity the other day. It was hilarious, and light-hearted, and no one was self-conscious. It's funny to think that the people who stood out in the crowd were the people WEARING CLOTHES.

Right… uh, back to the story! I was thinking… FFXIII's rebuilt civilization would probably end up looking a lot like the setting of FFX. Filled with nature, technology, and ruin. It helps a lot to visualize it that way… it's not so difficult a transition, right?

Well, most important thing I'd like to take a note of… thank you so much to Chazz Har-Har, AssasinZAssasin, Revan Farron, and Kaze no Ato for their reviews. This measly shout-out is a small token to how great you guys made me feel about posting my first story on fan-fiction. Your support is very encouraging, and I hope you, and everyone else who joins in, enjoys!

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Dawn's light brightened on the back of Lightning's eyelids, soon causing them to flutter open. Where was she today…? Slowly sitting up from her resting place, she looked around to find that she was on the deck resting above Oerba's former schoolhouse. The deck had bright flowers growing all around in little plots. Beneath the schoolhouse, sea water gently lapped at the stilts it was built upon. Lightning observed the nearby windmills turning steadily in a gentle wind. This was easily Lightning's favorite place to wake. In a way, it reminded her of home. Yet it maintained a very surreal presence, as though the land itself was trying to recall its forgotten past. Oerba had a way of being breath-taking and forlorn all at once.

Normally, Lightning found rest in Taejin's Tower, among the other ex-soldiers who had been working endless hours trying to preserve the civilization. But every so often, she would be able to rest here, on this deck.

She glanced over at the boy who would always join her whenever she sought rest in Oerba. He was curled on top of his knapsack, just as he would characteristically do whenever he was deep in peaceful slumber. She and Hope made it a habit to accompany one another on the deck, when they were both free to do so.

Lightning recalled one night, when it had rained. Her eyes twitched open that evening, to find Hope hovering over her, his drenched hair dripping in her face. She was surprised she hadn't noticed the rain. And at first, she was a little ticked off to find Hope -randomly dripping on her, no less- in her face while she was experiencing a rare moment of rest. But then, her sense of hearing caught up with her mind, and she realized Hope was telling her to get up.

"Come on, Light," he urged gently. "We can sleep downstairs in the old classroom."

"Oh," she heard herself say, "Okay." And she had gotten up, gathered her nearly-soaked things, and followed Hope downstairs to the dry, wooden room, cozy with the sound of rain pattering outside.

This morning was fresh and the air was cool. Big columns of cumulus clouds occupied the sky. Lightning inhaled the air, and thought to herself that Hope was lucky… his birthday couldn't have had a more perfect start.

…

The caves of the Mah' habara, abuzz with mechanical sounds, were suddenly filled with an agonized wail.

"DAMN IT!" Hope cried, clutching his arm in pain.

"Hope swore," Maqui said to himself, then snapped back to reality and got close to his younger teammate. "What happened…?"

Before Maqui could react, Hope grunted angrily while grabbing a heavy mallet and smashed the energy core of the dismantled Pulsework Centurion in front of him.

"What happened?" Maqui asked again, with a bit more force.

Hope's eyes were downcast. "This thing still had a little life in it. I was stupid… I didn't check to make sure the power was completely drained. I just trusted that I knew what it would look like when it was out of commission." He revealed the electric burns on his arm that he had gotten from the machine's lightning core.

"Oooh, that doesn't look good, man," Maqui remarked. Hope gave him a look that said "no shit."

"You alright?" a soldier overseeing the Mah'habara asked as he ran toward the boys. Hope let him see the wound.

"Right…" the soldier said, evaluating its severity. "Well, I only have band-aids and a few potions with me, so let's take you to the med stop and they'll fix you up right quick."

…

Hope lamented his day while eating lunch with Sazh and Dajh at the chocobo ranch. It wasn't SO bad… But it started with him waking up alone on the deck above the schoolhouse (perhaps Lightning had an early work day; it wasn't like it hadn't happened before). But from there, it made a steep downturn when he had begun the process of removing parts from the Centurion. All workers were advised to test the power levels of the machine, and perform a necessary energy drain if they weren't completely out of commission. Hope figured he had fought and ripped open enough of the machines to be able to tell this without the extra work. But as luck would have it, as he began to open it up, the core unexpectedly whirred to life and left a scathing mark on the boy. He spent an hour getting his arm iced, potion poured over it to help it heal, and finally getting a medical tape wrap to cover the burn.

Now, here he sat, eating egg salad prepared by Sazh. Which actually wasn't bad at all… however, the smell of chocobo permeating through the air was not nearly as enjoyable. Now and then he felt himself gag. And amidst all that wasn't right, even Sazh's congratulations brought the boy down.

"Hey! Light told us it was your birthday," Sazh had said, "The big one-five! Congrats." And he clapped Hope on the shoulder.

"Thanks," Hope smiled, putting as much sincerity as he could into his response. Although for some reason, the word "one-five" made him feel like a baby.

Hope left the stables early, deciding to return to the Mah'habara to compensate for his lack of work earlier in the morning. But as he approached the area, the same soldier that took him to get him treated approached.

"Hold up, Estheim," he said. "You're not trying to work more today, are ya?"

"Well, I'm doing better, so I thought I could help…"

"I don't think so, buddy. You oughtta just wait until you're all healed up. With the potion working on it, you'll be good by tomorrow. But for now, I say you should take a little time off from the caves. Too dangerous."

Hope slumped his shoulders and left, feeling a little useless. He decided to take the Cie'th waystone to Taejin's Tower. Hope had never really visited that area ever since it transformed into headquarters. Inside, there were a couple hundred people bustling about; most of them being ex-soldiers. Hope approached one of them, asking if they knew where he could find Lightning. After getting directions, Hope made his way to the third tier of the tower, where Lightning's "office of operations" was located. Upon entering the room, he found it empty aside from Yaag Rosch, writing furiously at a desk. The man looked up at Hope's intrusion.

"You," Rosch contemplated for a moment, "You're the youngest l'Cie, am I correct?"

"Yeah," Hope said, not bothering to mention that he was a FORMER l'Cie.

"What can I do for you?" he asked while giving him a bit of an impatient look.

"Um," Hope scratched the back of his head, "I was actually looking for Light. I was told this is where she's stationed…?"

"Miss Farron? She stepped out not five minutes ago-"

"Sorry it took me so long. He said that we could begin op-" Lightning paused as she stepped inside, realizing that Rosch wasn't the only one in the room. "Hope? Is everything-" she caught sight of his bandaged arm. "What happened?" Her voice was thick with concern.

"Uh, just a little accident at the Mah'habara. But I'm okay, Light. No need to worry about me," Hope said while hiding his injured arm behind his back.

"Let me see," she stated, approaching Hope and holding out her hand expectantly.

Hope sheepishly held his arm out for his friend to inspect. Lightning lifted a part of the bandage to see the wound underneath.

"Wow," she said placidly, giving a little smirk, "You really got zapped." Hope pulled his arm away. "Hey," she said staring him straight in the eyes, "You need to take better care of yourself. Live through tonight at least… Snow and Serah have something planned for you."

Hope, still stung by embarrassment and angry about his rotten day stated, "They don't need to bother. I don't need anything special for my birthday, I'm not a kid."

Rosch cleared his throat, startling the two, "Miss Farron."

"Yes," Lightning stood at attention.

"I'll need your assistance for a few more hours… but you may leave early this evening."

"Sir, that's not necessary. I need to be here-"

"You underestimate me if you think we can't survive a single evening without your assistance," Rosch bit back with a gleam in his eye.

Lightning gave a short laugh. "Very well." She turned to Hope and stated sternly, "I'll see you tonight. You ARE coming, and don't you dare think otherwise."

Lightning's version of humor could make a grown man wet himself. But Hope had become used to it over time, and he knew she only threatened because A) she cared about him, and B) Serah probably put effort into doing something special for him and Lightning would be pissed if he did not receive it with the upmost thankfulness.

The fifteen-year-old gave a stubborn pout in Light's direction, but deep down he knew that death would be the only excusable reason he'd miss that night.


	5. A Spark Creates the Flame

Oh boy, what a long week this has been! Last night, I went to a big art festival, and I bought a really cool painting. Next semester, I'm getting an apartment with three other friends, and I get my own room. I love designing stuff, so I'm really excited to fill my room with art and pictures and stuff. haha I have no idea why I'm thinking of next semester when I should just chill and think about summer. But college is great! I thought it'd be rough being away from my incredible family (especially my sister)… but it's such a unique experience. And I'll miss being able to walk right down the hall when I want to hang out with my friends.

This here is my longest chapter yet, and for good reason. I hope you like it!

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Hope approached Lebreau and Serah's restaurant with caution that night. For some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that Snow was going to burst out of the bushes and charge at him like a bear… as his of way of giving him a special birthday surprise (which would most likely lead to Hope having a special birthday crap-in-his-pants). Hope released the breath he was holding as he made a motion to turn the doorknob, unsure of what to expect inside. But then he froze as he heard a rustling sound nearby. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and his ears tried to pick up the sound.

"SNOW?" Hope screeched, then gave himself a moment to be taken aback by the girlishness of his scream.

"Awww maannnnn," Hope heard the bushes groan in Snow's voice. "How'd he know I was here?"

Snow rose from the nearby bushes, brushing off his pants, followed by Maqui who pulled a twig from his hair.

"You told him, didn't you?" Snow grumbled at Maqui, waiting for a confession.

"I swear, I didn't!" Maqui snapped back.

"Hey guys," Hope nodded to his friends with a boyish smile on his face.

"Hey, big guy!" Snow grinned, slapping Hope on the back. "Ready for an awesome time, tonight?"

"Yeah," Hope breathed. And the three young men stepped inside the restaurant. A brightly decorated table immediately caught Hope's eye. There was a woven tablecloth, with bold blues, greens, reds, and purples. A wooden vase of yellow wildflowers stood as the table's centerpiece. And while the hand-carved wooden plates and utensils remained, the usual tin drinking cups were replaced with bright blue, blown glass cups. Hope smiled inwardly at the gesture. He would have to remember to thank Serah.

"Your heroes have arrived!" Snow bellowed raising his arms in the air. While some of the restaurant's occupants rolled their eyes at the man's typical behavior, some who had been informed that Hope's birthday celebration would be taking place there gave cheerful applause to the boy.

"Hey!" Serah shouted happily from behind the bar counter, waving at them. Lightning, who had been sitting at the bar talking to her sister, turned and gave a small smile and rose from her barstool. Although the restaurant did not own any alcohol to serve the civilians, the bar conveniently provided more seating in the long, narrow space it occupied. The group figured it wouldn't be long before Lebreau found a way to concoct adult beverages and get the restaurant to be a more lively, unwinding place instead of just 'that place where people go to acquire the necessity of food.'

"Hello, troops!" Gadot yelled in a voice just as loud as Snow's. Then, approaching Snow he whispered, "Didja get him?"

"No…" Snow sighed, "He must have heard us or something."

"Yeah," Maqui interjected, "Because Mr. Caveman here couldn't stop fidgeting!"

"Caveman…" Snow said, his expression going blank.

Maqui shrugged. "I saw a kid point at you and call you that the other day."

"I think it fits," Lightning said while walking up to the guys.

"HEY! What's that supposed to mean, huh?" Snow shouted, "Have a little respect for your brother!"

"Tch," Lightning responded while shaking her head.

Serah scurried over to them and smiled. "Happy Birthday, Hope!"

"Thanks," Hope grinned. "This looks great."

"No problem at all!" she said cheerfully. Then she said a bit more softly, "You should thank sis, too. She told us it was your birthday and that we should do something special for you."

"I will," Hope promised.

"Come on," Lightning said, accidentally using her dead-pan voice, "Let's sit down. I'm starving." And the group all bustled around, finding seats at the table while Serah and Lebreau began bringing out racks of meat and serving plates filled with colorful, roasted vegetables. Another waitress came around with a pitcher and poured cold water into each of the blown glass cups. Snow picked up his glass and held it in the light.

"This is really cool," he said, observing the piece.

"Be careful, sweetie," Serah warned, "Merrill made those."

"He's been making a lot of them for us," Lebreau added, "There aren't quite enough to be used throughout the restaurant, but we thought we'd introduce them during tonight's celebration."

Suddenly, the doors of the restaurant swung open. "Oh, y'all started without us, huh? That's real nice," Sazh said from the entrance. Dajh giggled at his Daddy's fake offended voice.

"Lightning's fault," Snow said with a meaty rib in his mouth.

"Come take a seat, guys," Hope called to the two. Sazh and Dajh found their seats at the table and soon the entire room was filled with explosive laughter and loud stories and interruptions and fists pounding tables for emphasis. The group kept at it until half an hour before closing. At that time, Serah had joined the table in singing "Happy Birthday" to Hope while Lebreau brought out a large, yellowish cake.

"It's a very simple make," Lebreau admitted, "Vanilla and banana cake." Despite its simplicity, Hope thought it was one of the best things he'd eaten in a long time. Certainly since Pulse had become his new home. It was sweet and warm and had delicious, fresh-cut bananas layered on top of a thin coat of cream. After the grand meal, Hope knew he ate a little beyond his comfortable capacity. He loosened his belt a bit as he sunk into his chair. Sleep crossed his mind for the first time that evening. He thought of where he'd end up staying that night. Most of the time, he joined Sazh and Dajh at the shack they built. It was in a location Hope remembered well… the first place he had ever slept on Pulse; the same location where he gained his Eidolon, Alexander. He had slept in Snow and Serah's home a grand total of one time. It was an awkward stay because he felt he was intruding on the couple. He noticed their unspoken frustration, and he did not blame them. They were FINALLY together, so they naturally wanted some private time after work each day. And sleeping with NORA was okay. Minus the fact that sleep was never actually a part of the equation. They talked and snored and had a loud presence, in general. On occasion, he would sleep on the deck of Oerba's abandoned schoolhouse, whenever Light was available to join him. It had grown to be a special spot, and he looked forward to those nights the most.

The massive group of people all exited the restaurant and said their goodbyes outside. Only the former l'Cie remained as Sazh suggested, "Why don't we let the old team give Hope a 'Happy Birthday' wish?"

"You mean, go to the Cocoon Site?" Hope said.

"That's right," Sazh nodded. The rest of the group agreed, and they all headed to the Archylte Steppe where Cocoon stood, frozen in time.

Hope, Lightning, Sazh, Dajh, Snow and Serah all sat together at the crystallized base, taking in the massive presence of their old home.

"It's so beautiful," Serah breathed, while Snow squeezed her hand lovingly.

"Mhmm," Sazh agreed, "Home never looked so good."

Hope closed his eyes, thinking of Fang and Vanille. He could practically hear Vanille squealing in overexcitement about his birthday, telling him how mature he had become and how wonderful it was that he was alive after everything they had gone through. If she was there, Vanille probably would have hugged Hope making him feel a combination of awkwardness and joy. Fang, as usual, would probably have something snarky to say. She'd tease the boy about how he still had a long way to go before he was a man, effectively embarrassing him. But then she would probably say she was proud of him and how far he had come.

"It's still hard to believe," Lightning broke his thoughts. "Look at how much has changed. It's like we're born different people."

"Just the same bodies," Hope agreed.

The two sat in silence as their friends all began to settle into sleep around them. Serah, enveloped in Snow's arms. Dajh, nestled into Chocobo's warm, yellow body. Sazh propped his head in his hand, looking up at the sky. Cocoon stood silent, softly drizzling molecules of diamond dust into the air.

"Light," Hope whispered while scooting himself next to the rosy-haired woman.

"Mm," she hummed.

"What would you feel about us all, if we hadn't become a team with the same Focus?"

Lightning leaned on her elbows and responded simply, "Who knows?"

"Light!" Hope gave a short chuckle, "Try using your imagination."

"Hmph," she grunted at first. "Tell me who to start with," she suggested.

"Me?" Hope offered.

She shook her head. "Nah, you get to be last."

"Um, how about Sazh?"

Sazh rolled over, his curiosity piqued. "Yeah, Soldier Girl. I wanna know!"

Lightning snorted and gave him a knowing glance. "You know what I thought of you, at first."

"Okay, well what if the circumstances were different? What if your sister hadn't been taken, and you weren't set on Mission: Impossible?" the man retorted.

"Then… I guess I would have respected you. You'd be just another civilian to look after. I probably wouldn't have tried to make a connection. But, if we talked, we'd probably get along okay. I never really did well with people my own age. Conversation was always more valuable with my superiors… whether they're older than me, or higher-ranking."

Sazh nodded and rolled over on the ground, satisfied with her response.

"What about Fang?" Hope suggested.

"Fang is… she and I are a lot alike. Very stubborn and focused. It's possible we could've become friends… but we would have butted heads, once in a while." Before Hope could interrupt, Lightning continued, "And Vanille? She reminds me a bit of Serah. While part of me thinks I'd never be friends with someone like her, I would probably feel a pang of fondness. And as for Snow, I'd probably go on thinking he was all talk and no action. I was shocked when Serah seriously committed to thought of being with someone like him forever."

Hope nodded. He then looked at her to continue. Lightning became slightly flustered, knowing that Hope expected her to describe what she'd think of him next.

"Hope. I… don't want to tell you what I would have thought of you," she murmured while knitting her brows.

Hope smiled. "It's okay. I think I have a pretty good idea. You would have hated me, right?"

Lightning flinched. "I don't know. At first, I would have looked down on you. 'Just a kid… move on.' Were I to somehow get to know you, it'd be like looking into a mirror and seeing my former self. I'd hate that you were living so happily while I was just trying to get by."

Hope looked down at his shoes. "Did you ever hate Serah like that?"

"Now and then," Lightning answered honestly, "But the feeling went away, because she was all I had. I mostly hated the thought of Snow taking her away. But I knew… she needed more than the love I could offer. She deserved to be loved in that way."

"You do, too, you know," Hope said quietly. Lightning looked at him, not sure how to interpret his words. "I think everyone does," Hope added with a hint of self-consciousness. He knew he was speaking his mind about something very personal. Whether Light felt deserving of love or not was her own business, but he couldn't help but let her know that HE at least thought she should feel as happy as Serah.

After a minute, Lightning turned to him. "Thank you, Hope."

Hope smiled, relieved.

"Of course. And Light, thank you for my birthday," he said. He then moved so he was on his hands and knees as he leaned toward her. Lightning's breathing stopped, but she remained still as Hope used his hand to brush pink tendrils behind her ear. He then pressed his lips fleetingly against her porcelain cheek.

He then sat back down, feeling a blush creep up to his ears. "It really meant a lot," he whispered.

The two soon fell asleep, side by side, with nothing but the crystal planet watching over them and the people they cared for most.


	6. Making Progress

I'm sorry this took longer than usual to update! A little more plot, here, before delving into the romance. It's on it's way, don't worry. I wanted to thank you guys for all the support! Thanks for the favorites, reads, and reviews! They're really great. :)

In this chapter, I mention Lightning being boyish which is rooted in this one visit my grandma made. I decided to play FFXIII on the family big screen one day, and my grandma was watching a little distance away, from the kitchen. At the time, I was working on some Cie'th stone missions and I had Lightning running all over the place. My grandma then says, "Wow, he sure is doing a lot of running." Yes… HE. As in, my grandma actually didn't take notice of the pink hair, or female features, or the mini skirt. She thought poor Lightning was a male. I think it was the cape… lol

Anyway, on with the story!

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"Oh, hey!" Serah exclaimed, rather shocked to see her sister and fiancé chatting animatedly with one another while entering the restaurant. Snow always risked getting pummeled every time he tried to make small talk with Lightning (who had never found Snow's sense of humor very amusing).

"Hey, babe!" Snow called out to his bride-to-be.

"You guys in for some lunch?" Serah asked the two.

"Just a quick one," Lightning stated giving a sideways glance to her sister. "I have to get back to headquarters soon."

"You got it," Serah said while heading into the kitchen to prepare Lightning's usual lunch. "Are you sticking around, Snow?" she called over her shoulder.

"Not today. Sis and I have some big plans. But we should be back for dinner. We'll tell everyone what's going on, then," he stated while giving Serah a wink. Serah nodded and gave a small smile. It was a long day of work, and she had been looking forward to taking a break and joining Snow for some lunch. But it looked like she would have to wait for the evening before she was able to unwind.

Five minutes later, she returned from the kitchen with two plates of noodles and veggies. Lightning and Snow went back to their previous conversation while shoveling the food into their mouths. The scene before her reminded Serah that her sister could look very boyish when she was eating quickly on top of a good mood. 'All she needs is a beer in her hand, and she would look just like Snow when he went out to the bar for his bromance dates in Bodhum,' Serah thought, chuckling to herself. After they finished their meals, Snow gave a belch, and Lightning muttered "gross." But she didn't seem too annoyed as they got up to leave.

"Bye!" they both said to her while hastily exiting the restaurant. Serah relinquished a tired sigh as the door closed. Not ten minutes later, Hope stopped by, looking as cheerful as ever.

"Hello, Serah!" Hope beamed at her.

"Hope!" Serah cheered, "I'm glad to see you. Mind a little company for lunch?"

"Not at all. Sazh might be coming in a minute, too. He said he was dropping Dajh off to play with some friends," Hope said while making his way to an empty table. Serah pulled up a chair next to him and smiled.

"Aw, that's good that he's making friends," Serah said while placing her chin in her hands. "How did you like your birthday?" she asked.

"It was… perfect," Hope gave off a small blush.

"You thanked Claire, didn't you?"

"I did," Hope nodded quickly. He noticed a smirk creep up on Serah's lips. But before he could ask about the look, Sazh burst inside, dramatically wiping sweat off his brow.

"PHEW! Hot day out there," the man spoke loudly. He threw his coat on the back of an empty chair and took a seat next to Hope. Then he immediately stood up again. "I'm gonna go use the, uh… facilities." As soon as the men left, Serah quickly turned to Hope.

"Snow told me… he saw you kiss Claire last night," Serah could hardly contain the smile that was forming on her face and the glittering of her eyes.

Hope fumbled with his fork. "I, uh… I didn't realize he was… awake." The young teen looked like he wanted to melt into the floor. 'Snow knew? Him of all people had to see that?'

"He said he was dozing off, but caught you guys chatting for a while and then… you know. I didn't believe him at first. Especially because of the whole dozing detail. But he sounded pretty sure of himself." Serah placed a thoughtful finger to her chin, recalling when her eyes just began opening early that morning. Snow was already awake, and a big, goofy smile was plastered on his face. His observation from the night before was the first thing that came out of his mouth as Serah rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"It's not that big of a deal," Hope laughed awkwardly while scratching the back of his head. "I just… I don't know, it seemed like the most natural thing to do," he admitted. He stole a glance at Serah to gauge her reaction. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Wow," she seemed a bit surprised, "I never thought that anyone would describe an act of affection with Sis as 'natural.'"

"Affection? With LIGHTNING?" Sazh returned to the table with wide eyes. "I think I just stumbled on something juicy." Earning no response he urged them, "Dish the details!" while rubbing his hands together. 'Lightning gone soft? This I gotta hear!' he thought to himself. Serah and Hope exchanged a look. After neither of them spoke, Sazh frowned. "What? … Oh, I get it. Old man can't get in on the secret, right?" he crossed his arms.

"It's not that, Sazh," Hope said quickly, "it's just… weird to talk about."

"How so?" Sazh said not really catching on that Hope was, in fact, the one who had performed the 'act of affection.'

Serah, sensing Hope's discomfort, decided it would sound better coming from her. "He gave sis a thank you kiss, last night. No biggie," she said cooly.

Sazh thought for a moment. "Define 'kiss'…"

"Sazh…" Hope groaned, running a hand through his messy, white locks, "It was on the cheek, okay?"

The man raised his hands in defense, "Sorry! Didn't mean to stick my nose in your business." Inwardly, he was skeptical. 'Lightning actually LET him kiss her? Well I'll be damned… She really does have a heart.'

Serah patted Hope's shoulder and smiled at him. "She really has a soft spot for you. You must be special."

Hope, despite the compliments, was nearly dying of embarrassment. In all honesty, the young teen had been pushing away feelings for the ex-soldier for a long while, now. While his being was predominantly emotional, his maturity made him realistic. He knew certain things could be "over-examined." A smile, a hug, or a even a soft touch to his arm could be taken as a signal, as Hope's mind so wanted to believe. But his mind also justified that Lightning did those things because she loved him in a different way. Nevertheless, Hope couldn't help but feel a masculine boost in confidence when Serah, the person who knew Light the most, had called him 'special' in regards to her. His brain had to go into overload, trying to calm him down. 'Relax, Estheim…'

Turning to Serah, he finally uttered a 'thank you,' and began eating the untouched lunch Lebreau had set down for the table.

"By the way, where's Snow? He's normally here for lunch around this time," Sazh asked Serah.

"He and Sis stopped by, not too long ago. It seemed like something important was going on," she informed him. "He said they'll tell us tonight."

"Huh," Hope breathed, secretly relieved by the topic change. "I wonder what it is?"

…

That evening, Snow stood to make an announcement at dinner.

"As a good friend suggested," he began, giving Sazh a good clap on the shoulder, "what our people need right now is to learn how to survive. In order to speed up progress, and in order to begin a REAL civilization, people need to be able to take care of themselves. On Cocoon, that meant going to work and bringing home money. But here on Pulse, that means physically fighting against the forces that threaten our families. No one should live in fear of not knowing what to do. And I think you'll agree, things will only start to feel normal when we aren't constantly surrounded by soldiers."

A few "yeah"s echoed through the crowd gathered at the restaurant. Even a few of the soldiers there raised their glasses in cheer. Being on guard constantly was a huge burden, and kept many of the soldiers from their families.

"It's about time," Snow continued, "that ALL of us start living life again. Let's worry about having fun, what restaurant we want to go to, which person we want to start a relationship with. And… what day we should finally have our wedding…"

Serah clasped her hands in front of her chest, happy tears swimming in her eyes. Snow looked to her and mouthed, "I love you." And she returned the gesture.

"We still have a while to go before we can get there. But with this new program, it'll get us there a lot quicker. Lightning and I have just gotten the approval of Lieutenant Yaag Rosch to start a training program that will teach you how to win battles against monsters. As of now, the plan is to have each person partake in one session per week for three hours. Rosch himself will be making the official announcement tomorrow."

"Knowing Snow, he had to blurt it out to as many people as possible before tomorrow came," Lightning smirked. The room was filled with knowing chuckles.

"WELL," Snow said 'matter-of-factly' , "I hope you all are as excited as I am!"

The room echoed with cheers. Some tables of people clapped. Some stayed reserved. But once Snow took his seat, the whole room was electric with conversation about the new training program.

Hope knew immediately, that he'd sign up for it, too. Just because he had helped his friends defeat monsters before, he never felt confident enough to take down the fiends he had easily squandered as a l'Cie. After all, he mostly took a supportive role. When he was on the offense, it was either with his boomerang weapon, or a hell of a lot of magic. Hope wanted to be able to rely, at least a little bit, on his own physical strength.

And he wanted those that needed him to be able to rely on him, too.


	7. What Could Be on Your Mind?

Hey! I apologize again for the time it took me to update the last chapter. Ever since finals ended my brain kind of went into vacation mode. But now it's up to speed! :)

I've been house-sitting for my neighbor while the rest of my family is BUSY. Parents at work, sister at school. My only friends are DOGS. Dogs at home. Dogs at the neighbor's place. Feeding dogs. Walking dogs. Playing soccer with dogs. Sleeping with dogs… I'm so proud of my allergic-to-dogs self for not being so sensitive to this madness.

The other day I found this band called Mind In A Box, and they are amazing. Their music was all I've been listening to today. Actually, just two songs. One called Escape, and one called Stalkers. If you're into immersing yourself in electronic music that taps into the mind, you should check them out. Again, these are the only two songs I've heard. Escape is a little strange at the beginning, but then becomes this mind-bending masterpiece. :)

Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter! Thank you for following along with my story.

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Hope opened his eyes the next morning to a vacant deck. He sighed. Lightning left without waking him again. On the occasion he confronted her about this, she brushed him off. He would say that he really didn't mind if she woke him on her early days. He _liked_ an early start to his day. But she refused to believe him.

"If you're tired, you need to rest, Hope," she'd always say. And he always insisted he didn't sleep in because he was tired, but because he was just a teenage boy. It was part of his genetic design to be a little lazy (although Hope, as a person, was anything but). But it was apparent that his old partner just couldn't let go of the images of him falling down or passing out due to exhaustion on the first legs of their journey together as l'Cie.

Suddenly, Hope smiled, recalling what had happened last night. As he and the ex-soldier set up their knapsacks, Lightning had turned to Hope, and gave a very deliberate look at him. Hope had paused his motions and looked right back at her, wondering what she was thinking.

"Goodnight, Hope."

She said it beautifully. Hope's heart skipped for a moment, but then he felt a (recently familiar) _natural_ urge. He couldn't say if it was Serah's pep-talk or the way Light's ice-blue eyes watched him, but a spark of confidence swelled within him and he moved toward her. Her breath hitched (almost inaudibly) as Hope pecked her cheek just as gently as he had the evening before. Pulling back, the boy's cheeks became tinted pink. Lightning stared for a solitary moment longer; and in that moment Hope caught the hardly-there blush. Before he knew it, she turned wordlessly, and crawled into bed. Hope finished setting up his sleeping space and laid on top of the knapsack. His hand nestled beneath his head as he stared at the stars, his head fuzzy like a cloud and his face warm, as though it was glowing with sunshine. Finally, he found words.

"Goodnight, Light." Only he was sure she was sleeping by then. And with a soft sigh, the boy curled on his side and fell asleep.

Now morning, Hope glanced out at the sea, and saw the sun lining up with the windmills on the horizon, meaning it was almost time for work. Hope stretched his back, hearing it make a small crack. He then stood up and put on his work clothes which consisted of a black t-shirt, gray jeans, and goggles hanging loosely on his neck, taking the place of his bandana. The goggles were actually made from modified eyepieces of soldier helmets (the helmets had been donated to the mechanics, who had more use for the protective eyewear, anyway). Hope laced up his white boots and pulled on his work gloves and then headed for Oerba's Cie'th waystone.

…

"Hey!" Hope said, approaching Maqui, who was sitting on the Ma'habara's rocky, cave floor.

"Heyyyyy," Maqui said through a loud yawn.

"Woah. Late night?"

"Nah. I'm just bored. The soldiers have us all waiting. We're going on a field trip or something."

"What?" Hope glanced around and saw that everyone was either sitting down or leaning themselves against the walls. A few of the overseers bustled about, communicating through their headsets. Then it dawned on Hope.

"You know, maybe this is about the training program? Snow said Rosch was going to make the announcement about it today."

Maqui's eyes widened in realization. "Ugh, wow. I can't believe I didn't think of that…" The eighteen-year-old flopped onto his back dramatically. Hope laughed.

And soon, as Hope predicted, a soldier announced that they would all be heading to Taejin's Tower to hear some important news from Lieutenant Rosch. The mechanics and their overseers herded themselves to the Tower, mumbling in wonderment as to what the announcement could be. Some, who had heard Snow's speech at the restaurant the night prior, informed their friends and co-workers of this possibility.

Upon reaching the Tower, Hope noticed that there were already swarms of people gathered, waiting for the announcement. Rosch stood at the edge of the second tier so all could see (and hear) him. Lightning stood at his side, looking bored (but composed) as she waited. Rosch said something into his headset and then addressed the crowd with a voice that came out loud and clear.

"Alright, I am told everyone is here, so let's begin." The chattering amidst the crowd died down as everyone focused their attention on Rosch.

"Good people," he boomed, "it has become a necessity to expand ourselves in order to rebuild our civilization. By extension, we have been spreading ourselves thinner and thinner. And by doing this, we take greater risks. The more unknown territory we explore, the less prepared we are against the threat of the outside world. Some of you may already be aware of the attack on the field workers of the Archylte Steppe expanse… We lost two of our own that day."

Hope paled. He hadn't heard about it. Looking to Lightning, he saw her face hadn't changed. She probably already knew.

Rosch continued, "While we have soldiers patrolling every area, it is apparent that the amount of people inexperienced in combat greatly exceed those who are well-practiced. In short, in order to continue the progress we've made, and in order to provide a safe lifestyle, I've asked Sergeant Farron to begin a training program."

Lightning took stage and spoke in a voice Hope recognized from the Gapra Whitewood. It was serious, but had calming, sympathetic undertones.

"Think of this as a stepping stone to living a normal life. When we are able to take care of ourselves, we will know freedom rather than fear." She echoed Snow's words from the night before, and they proved to be just as inspirational as they had before. She concluded the announcement by informing the crowd that training was available each day for three hours of the morning. Those interested only needed to sign up for one training session per week.

"Please sign up for a day that suits you best," Rosch added, "Sheets have been posted on the walls, so find a time slot and arrive early for it."

A member of the crowd asked where the sessions would take place.

"We will meet at the Cie'th waystone of the Steppe's central expanse," Lightning informed.

Soon the crowd dispersed, most of the people heading for the sign-up sheets. Hope and Maqui caught up with Gadot in the crowd.

Maqui ran up to his old friend. "Hey, are you doing this, man?"

"I'm gonna help _lead_ it," the burly man flexed his muscles, putting the two skinny teenagers to shame.

Seeing an open sheet, Hope ran up and signed his name under the Saturday morning slot. He then caught up with the rest of the mechanics as they gathered, and then headed back to work.

…

After a relatively easy day in the Ma'habara caves, Hope went to the Yaschas Massif and sat at a cliff's edge. He removed his gloves and rested his hands on the wild grass. Nearby, some children were sword-fighting with sticks. Their parents were watching, nearby. Hope smiled. 'Take care of each other.' He turned to the horizon and gazed at the clouds and thought about his parents. He wondered if they would be proud of him. If he was growing into the man they wanted him to be, or maybe something more… After a while, his thoughts slipped to Light. Would they like her? Would they understand? Hope couldn't come up with appropriate reactions for his parents. He had no clue if they'd be angry or accepting of his steadily growing feelings for the woman who was now six years his senior. Hope knew his father was four years older than his mother, but as adults the difference did not create a scathing image in society's eyes.

Hope then remembered his father telling him to make his own path. He nodded to himself.

"I guess… we'll see, then?"

…

That night, Hope sat on the schoolhouse deck by himself, watching the smooth steady sea reflect the multitudes of stars. The water lapped at the building, and Hope could feel his eyes closing. Suddenly, footsteps came up the schoolhouse stairs and Hope whirled around. Lightning paused at the top step.

"You _are_ here," she said, mostly to herself. "Do you sleep here without me? By yourself?"

"Oh, uh, no… usually I go stay at Sazh's place. But I just felt like coming here, tonight."

Hope scratched the back of his head shyly.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her.

"Hm. I… thought you'd be here."

"You didn't say anything, earlier."

"I didn't know how late I'd be staying at headquarters tonight. I didn't want you to wait up for me."

Hope chuckled. "I wouldn't have minded, you know."

"I know." Lightning sat down next to him.

The two sat, staring at the sea. Hope felt a wave of sleep crash over him, but his nerves jolted him just enough to keep him awake. This was the third night in a row they had stayed together. They never even stayed together two nights in a row, before. The boy's thoughts were interrupted when he felt a gaze upon him. Hope let his eyes peek first before turning his head in an obvious fashion. As his eyes met Light's he quickly looked away in embarrassment. But then again, _she_ was the one staring at him.

Hope turned his body to face the tough, beautiful, and oh so hard-to-read Farron sister. Could she be expecting him to…? Hope inched his face closer to Light's. As he began to close his eyes, he saw Light close her's, too; waiting for him. He kissed her cheek, and let his lips linger for a second or two before pulling back. When Hope opened his eyes, Lightning locked her gaze with his. He felt like an open book, vulnerable to her judgement. Could she see it on his face that he loved her? More than a sister? After a long while, she turned and faced the sea, again. Hope did the same. But he couldn't think about the water or the stars. His heart pounded at the idea that perhaps Light kept returning to him each evening to receive a goodnight kiss. He scooted closer to her and laid his head on her shoulder. She glanced down at him, but did not move.

Hope had never felt such a strange mixture of comfort and the urge to explode with dancing in his life. Finally, she said to him, "Hey, Hope…"

Hope lifted his head and looked at her. He smiled a bit. "What? Would you like another kiss, Claire Farron?" he said with a slightly cheeky tone. Lightning stared at him blankly. And for a moment, Hope thought he overstepped a boundary. He said her actual _name_. A name she abandoned long ago. She had given him permission to call her 'Light,' but never 'Claire.' Hope opened his mouth to apologize.

"…Yes."

Hope froze. Lightning looked at him seriously. And before Hope could respond, she placed a hand on his shoulder and pressed her lips to his, ever so softly. He gasped in her mouth as he felt her lips shape themselves against his own. Then, slowly, he let his lids close as his lips moved gently with hers. Hope's head was so far up in the clouds, he had no clue what was tethering him to the earth.


	8. The Adult of the Situation

Hello! I hope everyone is having a good week. It took a while for me to update this chapter because life has kind of been a roller coaster since I last wrote. I finished house-sitting, and now I'm doing it again because my parents are gone for a trip to Cabo san Lucas for my cousin's wedding. I had to paint a shot-ski for them. haha I had a weird weekend that gave me more of an… understanding… for Light and Hope's situation. *shifty eyes*

Anyhow, I was wondering if you guys would be interested in some fan art to go along with this fic. Any suggestions? I'd like to make something. Maybe a couple "somethings"!

Enjoy the chapter! :)

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It came as a great surprise to Hope when he was the first one to wake up. As he opened his eyes, he saw Lightning off to the side, still asleep. Hope pushed himself up from the ground and then came to realize that the sun had just barely started to rise. And since it was late summer, that meant it was still very early. Hope's mind began reconnecting the dots, remembering what had occurred before he drifted to sleep. His eyes widened and his hand came to his lips in a flash. For a while, Hope had to contemplate if he had made up the entire thing. Was it a dream? Running a thumb over his lips, he felt… _different_. He smiled warmly to himself. Light had kissed him. He still had yet to know what that meant, but for a moment, reality and the dream had been switched. Claire Farron had accepted his affections, and went on to tenderly advance them.

Hope sighed, trying to recall every detail of their kiss. He blushed, ashamed that he initially reacted with surprise. Hope wished he was a bit smoother, but the fact of the matter was this: Light had given him his first kiss.

Oh, sure, that one neighbor girl had kissed him once. And so did that other girl… 'Thanks, Mom, for having friends with such spontaneous daughters,' Hope thought to himself, breathing out a little chuckle. But those were both before he had even turned five. Those didn't count. But the one with Light certainly did. He was grateful she had given him time to respond to the kiss, rather than running away squealing like those little four-year-old girls had. The image of Lightning doing something as silly as running away squealing made Hope almost burst out laughing. He bit his hand, holding it back, and continued on with his memory. As he began to kiss her back, she had made a little sigh noise. That was what he remembered most; that tough, powerful Lightning had made such a _sensitive_ sound. It made Hope feel like… a man. One that had to handle the situation lovingly and with deep sincerity. As she released her lips from his, she looked vulnerable. Her eyes delicately held his gaze, rather than exuding intensity. It was as though she was on the edge of being embarrassed for her actions, yet hopeful for his approval. And despite the height difference, and age difference, and every other damn difference that denied Hope his manliness, he wanted to be just that for her. Because a man was what she deserved.

Hope watched Light quietly, wondering what would happen when she woke up. Would she be happy to see him? Would he get a good morning kiss? Hope liked these options very much. Then again… she could be mad. Or embarrassed. There could have been something that happened to make her out of her element, right? Too much work, or too much stress in general. Maybe kissing him was her way of mourning over the people who had died because their civilization wasn't safe enough.

Hope was wallowing in the dreadful possibilities when Lightning began to stir. His nostrils flared as he froze in terror. Lightning frowned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Hope?" She looked around tiredly, making Hope wonder (again) what time it actually was. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry if I woke you…"

"I'm a light sleeper." She took a moment to look at him. "You thinking about stuff?"

"Yeah, I guess I am."

Lightning nodded and narrowed her eyes, having a good idea as to what Hope was thinking about. She watched him stretch his lean, almost ivory-white legs and smirked as he let himself fall flat on his back onto his bedroll.

"Listen, Hope."

"Yeah?" The boy turned on his side and rested his head on his hand.

"It's about last night." She gave him a look that was one part sheepish and one part serious, knowing that they had to talk about this.

Hope looked at her, afraid of what she might say. But he implored her to continue. "What is it, Light?"

"I don't think… we should tell anyone about this, yet."

"Oh," Hope nodded, filled with understanding. Some part of him had already come to this conclusion. He had a strong feeling Lightning wouldn't want to make… whatever this was… public knowledge. Although something told him he should feel slighted, he refused to let it get to him. "Can I ask you something?"

She nodded, giving him the go-ahead.

"Do you have feelings for me, Light?"

She gave a long, drawn-out sigh as she contemplated the right words. "You know… I do, Hope," she said honestly. "I've never been as close with anyone as I have been with you. It's just, last night, I didn't think at all. Not very practical, right?" She gave a short chuckle, and Hope's mouth twitched into a smile. "At the time, I wanted it that way. Each time you kissed me, my heart would do this… thing. And it was weird…"

Hope nearly burst out laughing at Lightning's inability to properly describe feelings. Particularly, feelings of the romantic sort.

"Well, at first, I was a little pissed," Lightning continued. "It was a pain in the ass that my brain _refused_ to function. All I did was just re-envision the night of your birthday over and over, wondering what it meant when you did that. And wondering what it meant when my heart ceaselessly flopped around. What was worse was that I was around Snow all day, and he just kept asking me little insinuating questions while wearing a stupid little smile on his face. But then, when you kissed me again, all I **wanted** to do was feel."

Hope smiled. He understood Lightning was a little frustrated with losing control of her head, but she didn't seem too upset for following her heart. He felt a sense of relief that she didn't try denying her feelings. So they _were_ there… and she admitted it.

"I can't believe that you of all people, Hope, can get past my walls and just walk around inside like it's no big deal." She shook her head in disbelief and amusement.

"Aw, you know… it's just the boyish charm. Works every time!"

"_Uh-huh_," Lightning dead-panned.

The two looked at each other and shared a comfortable silence until Hope fell asleep again. Lightning watched him peacefully as the sun slowly rose beyond the windmills.

…

It was Sunday. A day of rest, and a day of play. Everyone was allowed to have the day off to do whatever they wanted. Many of the families would picnic together, or just visit with friends, lazing about underneath the trees. The restaurant opened its stock to those who didn't have food on hand. Ex-soldiers kept their guns in their holsters, keeping an eye open for danger, out of habit. But for the most part, everyone was safe because they stayed in large groups, sharing food and stories and quilts for rest.

Hope rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt, then picked up a basket of food he put together for a family that lived next to Sazh. He had known the family while living in Palumpolum. They had been well beyond financially stable in their former life; and despite not trying to appear so, they were among those having the most difficult time adjusting to Pulse. Hope always tried to do something to help the family, be it doing a couple chores, or bringing them food.

After dropping by the family's hut, Hope waited for Sazh to finish packing up supplies. He placed a tightly-rolled quilt, a basket, and a duffle of who-knows-what onto Chocobo's back.

"Hey Sazh, can I make a quick stop at the ranch?" Hope asked impatiently as the man slowly fastened everything into place on Chocobo. Dajh was already mounted on the giant bird, practically asleep with boredom.

"Whatever you want, kid." Sazh was barely focused on the question, otherwise he would have delved into a cosmos of precautions, as he normally did. 'Be sure to close the gate behind you. Don't get the birds all riled up. Would you pick up the crap while you're there?'

Hope scurried away while he had the chance and reached the ranch within a few minutes. He unlocked the gate that was built between the two mountainsides that sheltered the little chocobo oasis. Once inside, Hope made his way over to his favorite chocobo. He had deemed it his own when he found one day -with childlike delight- that the bird had several white-colored plumes that almost perfectly matched his silver-blonde hair. He then named it Death Beam to mismatch the bird's harmless disposition.

Scratching the chocobo's chest, he easily coaxed it to follow him outside of the ranch. After locking the gate, Hope mounted Death Beam and caught up with Sazh and Dajh.

…

The threesome filled their bellies with a large loaf of bread that Sazh had baked the day before, and eggs that Hope had pan-fried over an open flame. The chocobos grazed a short distance away. Dajh was "helping out" by uprooting hunks of grass and feeding it to the birds. Hope and Sazh sat on a grassy knoll, staring out at the flat plain that stretched before them.

"So, you haven't been coming to our place in a while," Sazh broke the silence. Hope looked at the older man, who wore a smirk and whose eyes were filled with accusation.

"Yeah, so?" Hope knew his nonchalant approach would agitate the man.

Frustration briefly crossed over Sazh's features, but he brushed it aside. "I'm just wondering if I should be worried."

"About…?"

"If I'm gonna have to clean up your remains after Soldier Girl kills you."

"I don't catch your meaning," Hope said, knowing his calm front was beginning to falter.

"You _are_ staying with Lightning, right?"

"Yeah. But we've stuck together plenty, Sazh. It's not like it's anything new."

"Uh-huh. And you're saying she'd be okay with your crush on her?" Sazh crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at the boy.

"Sazh, I-," Hope wasn't sure what to say. He didn't want to let down Light and betray her request. If he couldn't be mature about the situation, she would probably deny any feelings she had for him. She'd call it a mistake.

"I know," Sazh placed his hand on Hope's shoulder, "But just because you're a kid doesn't mean you can keep getting away with slick moves. The girl has a short fuse… she's bound to blow if you test her limits."

Hope knit his brows together and his face, which was once flushed in discomfort, was now red-hot with anger. He stood up suddenly, startling the man beside him. For a moment, Hope could care less about being mature, and was simply filled with outrage.

"Quit calling me 'kid', alright?" Hope shouted at him. "Just because you're older than me doesn't mean you know everything! You have NO CLUE what I feel. Maybe you should focus less on speaking for Lightning and just let her live her life _the way she wants to_."

With that, Hope stormed off, undid the reigns on Death Beam, and rode away until he became a dot on the horizon.

…

As the sky became inky-blue with darkness, Hope snuck over to the chocobo ranch and ushered Death Beam inside. He had run the poor beast ragged, trying to get away and clear his mind. Hope looked all around, and quietly closed the gate, being careful not to draw any attention to himself. He was still a bit flustered from earlier that afternoon, and he had no idea what would happen if he and Sazh were to interface. He knew he couldn't avoid him for long, but it was still too soon. Hope rounded the corner of the mountainside and stepped onto the open plain. Few beasts were out this time of day. Most retired to their caves or hid in the underbrush, feasting on their hunted or falling asleep with empty stomachs. A few clusters of civilians milled about the area, some going to nearby huts, and some heading for waystones. Hope began walking toward a waystone, deciding he would stay the night in Oerba, most likely rooming with NORA. Lightning was going to stay at Taejin's Tower that night, to get ready for the training session that would begin the next morning.

"Hey."

Hope nearly jumped out of his skin. He turned to see Sazh, lounging against a rocky wall next to the petrified Cie'th. Hope hadn't seen him in the shadows.

"Listen," Sazh said, reaching out to the boy, "We gotta talk."

"I'd rather not, now," Hope grumbled, turning away from his older friend.

"Now, now… How 'bout I do the talking, then." Sazh scratched the back of his head. "Back there… when I said all that, I was just looking out for you, you know? Lightning. She can be a bit of a, uh… well, she can be hard to get along with. She's one of those girls who can get real mad real quick if your brainwaves don't match hers. She's not too good at putting herself into other people's shoes."

Hope's eyebrow twitched in irritation. He knew there was some truth to Sazh's words, but he didn't want to perceive Lightning in a negative way.

"Now don't get me wrong," Sazh sensed Hope's discomfort, "She's a good person, and she cares a lot about people. But she's gonna do what _she_ thinks is right. And there's not much anyone can say to stop her. She runs with what she knows. She can only understand things that she has experienced. Something tells me she hasn't had much experience with… you know, love. Relationships. And I'm just afraid that if she gets wind of your feelings, she'll push you away. Being a soldier is all that girl knows."

Hope looked down at his shoes. "So that's it then?" he spoke up. "No one should get to know her? No one should try going the extra mile to get past her walls and show her she's cared about? Because I think the reason she's like this is because no one ever showed her that she mattered enough to get through to her."

Sazh's eyes widened. "You really like her, huh?"

"Uh…" Hope turned away, shyly attempting to dodge the question.

"Well, kid, you got a good head on your shoulders. That's plain to see. Just be careful, yeah?"

Hope nodded. "Sure thing."

"Oh, and about all that 'kid' stuff, I don't really mean it like that," Sazh wrung his hands together in embarrassment, "I call everybody that. You… Vanille… Snow…"

"Snow is a kid," Hope gave Sazh a grin.

"Boy, you got that right… Anyway, if it bothers you, I can try callin' you by your name… or something."

"It's all good." Hope stepped away from the waystone and joined Sazh in walking back to his home. Thinking back on things, Lightning had been so harsh with him, and nearly everyone else on their team. But Hope remembered when he and Light were working together to reach Palumpolum. Without even trying, he had cracked into her and changed her view of life in a rather significant way. If he could unintentionally get through to her, Hope knew if he tried hard enough, he could get her to see a whole lot more than just life through a soldier's scope.


	9. Ease Your Frustrations

These past few days have been filled with so much activity, I'm surprised at myself! Normally, I'm such an introvert and I have no problem spending summer days in front of a computer. But lately, the extrovert in me has been dominant! I've had a couple huge groups of people at my house last weekend, and this week I've gone to an amusement park with a friend-boy, drove an hour to hang out with friends (one of which who is spending the rest of her summer in Vietnam), and today I saw the new Pirates movie with a big group. I liked it, personally. I was afraid I wouldn't be fond of the movie, but it was fun to watch! Tomorrow I'm making home-made pretzels at my friend's house. Should be good! (I HOPE!) :D

Enough of that, I'm sure you don't care about my daily activities. THE STORY… This chapter is one of my favorites… and for those who have been looking forward to a bit more Hope x Light, I'm sure you will enjoy it as well.

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Lightning smashed the doors of the restaurant open Monday afternoon. The guests began to eye her wildly, not sure what to make of her sudden entrance.

"Come on, sis. Don't break the building!" Snow jogged up behind her. She shot him an icy glare. "I'm telling you," Snow said while taking a cautionary step backward, "it's the first time trying this. Not every group will be the same."

Lightning groaned with agitation, but tried to calm down for the sake of not causing a scene at the restaurant. Her head was throbbing and her skin was sunburned. The training had not gone very well that morning. She knew the system wasn't perfect, but she hadn't expected so many… difficulties. The group had been reckless and they all had their own opinions about whose talents lied where. An important point she and Snow had stressed was that each person had different strengths in the battle field. Naturally, not everyone could take an offensive stance. Some people needed to hold supportive roles in order to keep the group a "well-oiled machine." Not all people had talent with hand-to-hand combat, as Snow and Gadot did. Some people would need to learn how to use weaponry. And more still would have to learn how to use manadrives. While manadrives had the capability to crush foes with magic, resources were too scarce to give them out openly. And the priority of the mechanics -aside from building equipment to further their civilization- was to construct mechanisms with curative and defensive capabilities.

Despite Lightning's instruction that not everyone would be allowed to wield a sword, some people strongly rebuked her words, putting into question the safety of their families. What if they were to face off with a foe on their own? Shouldn't everyone be able to use a sword or a manadrive with black magic lineage? It was apparent that despite Lightning's ranking and her immense expertise (she only _saved the world_, after all) that people still weren't willing to put their faith in her. Perhaps some of them still thought she was out to kill them all. The morning was rough, indeed.

Hope looked up from his lunch as Snow and Lightning took a seat at his table.

"Hey, Hope. You signed up for this thing, right?" Snow asked.

Hope nodded.

"When do you have it?"

"Saturday."

"Awwww… We have to wait that long for an actual good pupil?"

"Uh-oh," Hope swiped his silvery bangs from his face, "Was the group bad, today?"

Snow held back a chuckle, "Well, someone called Light 'sir'… and it all went downhill from there." Lightning flinched at the memory. She had forgotten about that. And in all honesty, she could care less about it.

"Can we talk about something different?" Lightning said, her tone making it more of a statement than a question. Hope and Snow shut their mouths, waiting for a new topic to appear from thin air. Lebreau suddenly approached the table.

"Hey! How'd training go?" she said cheerily, earning a three-set of glares from the table. Lebreau, taken aback, held up a hand in defense, "Woah. Kidding! What I meant to ask was: What do you want for lunch?"

"Whatever's best, Lebreau," Snow nodded at her.

"Same." Lightning leaned back in her chair, looking like she wanted to pass out. Lebreau disappeared into the kitchen and came back with two bowls of hearty stew, brimming with vegetables and tender pieces of meat. She also set down a hot, fresh loaf of bread at the table. The two twenty-one-year-olds chowed down on their food while Hope timidly lapped up the last couple bites of his lunch.

…

The scene was not much different at dinnertime. Lightning's day had hardly improved, and that point revealed itself when she grumbled, "Man, when are they going to serve alcohol in this place?" Hope knew this side of her, and wasn't too alarmed. However, this did not detract from the fact that Lightning was simply far less attractive when she was upset. It made Hope long for her rare smile, and genuine warmth. In those times, he had never seen a woman more beautiful. Even Lightning enjoying a hunt was preferable. Hope did not care that in these times she proved far stronger than himself. She was in her element, effortlessly twisting and twirling in the air, unsheathing her gunblade with the fluid rotation of her wrist. She had godly beauty when she fought. But when Lightning was in one of her grouchy moods, Hope felt helpless. Not knowing how to relax the woman made him feel less like a man and more like a child.

Serah had joined the three at their table that evening. It was when she giggled and rested her head on Snow's shoulder that the idea crossed Hope's mind. Snow wasn't easy to rattle, but he had seemed pretty tense that day, and Serah had managed to calm him down with sweet talk and hand-holding. Lightning sat, ignoring the two, her mind obviously elsewhere. Hope wondered if he had the power to ease Light of her burdens, like Serah was able to do with Snow. He wondered if a little affection would take her mind off of the day's frustrations. The fifteen-year-old gulped, noting that were he to fail at easing her, he'd probably get a swift fist to his gut. Lightning certainly didn't find difficulty in getting physical in the most unfriendly of ways.

Hope watched her as she spun a knife between her forefinger and the table, the blade pointed upward, but not piercing her skin. Her irritated composure transformed to one of boredom. The day's frustrations still weighed on her in an inescapable way. Normally, Lightning could move on from things like this; but she _had_ to keep thinking about it because the rest of her week could be filled with similar situations if she couldn't figure out how to resolve the issue. She knew it would be unfair to take the stance of the harsh **Sergeant Farron**. Although at times she wished to slip into that character, she reminded herself that these were people with no choice but to learn how to survive. They were all in the same boat. Each of them had a say in what would be best for their civilization, and she had to find a way to make them understand that she was in control and knew what was best. She thought to herself for the millionth time that Rosch would have been a better leader. However, his knowledge of surviving Pulse was minimal, and the man himself still wasn't in the best condition for fighting. Lightning would have to adopt his convincing leadership skills in order to compliment the knowledge she held on survival.

"Light. Want to go for a walk?" Lightning turned to see Hope, whom she had almost forgotten was occupying the seat next to hers. Outside of her vision, Serah was biting back a smile and Snow threw a wink at the boy.

"Yeah, let's get out of here," Lightning grumbled. Then, turning to the couple, "Goodnight, Serah."

"Night, Sis," she and Snow said together.

Lightning swiftly exited the restaurant with Hope on her heels. She finally paused, realizing she had agreed to walk _with_ him. She put a hand to her head, and closed her eyes, wishing her headache would subside.

"Let's go to the Tchita Woodlands," Hope suggested, speaking of a land five miles west of Oerba. It had grassy plains, similar to the Steppe and Massif, but was dense in wooded forest rather than lush jungle.

"Are you comfortable with that? It hasn't been cleared out at all, Hope," Lightning warned.

"I'll be fine," Hope said, raising a gloved hand. Right at the wrist was a watch-like mechanism.

"You have a manadrive…" Lightning was a little shocked that Hope had been able to get ahold of one. Not even all the soldiers had access to the powerful devices.

"Sure. I work on making this kind of thing every day."

"Oh," Lightning chuckled, embarrassed she had forgotten his job at the Mah'habara. "So, white magic, or black?"

"Both," Hope beamed, "I made it special. Did you want me to make one for you?"

"That's alright. Magic isn't really my thing." The two both laughed softly at the truth of her words. She didn't need to be good with magic, anyway. Her expert swordplay was proof enough of that.

After walking in silence, Hope spoke up again, realizing Lightning's tension still remained. She wasn't being as open with him as usual. "Hey Light… if you ever get rough days like this, you can always talk to me about it."

She glanced away from him. "I'd rather not. You don't need to worry about my issues."

Hope paused in his tracks, "I hope you'd realize that how you feel _does_ affect me. It makes me feel useless not being able to help. I'd rather you take some frustration out on me."

Lightning raised her eyebrows at him in surprise.

Hope began to blush madly. "Not… like that-! I mean, if you wanted to that's okay, but I'm assuming you don't. I didn't mean it that way at all! Obviously I wouldn't-" Hope rambled, wishing he could just shut up.

"Just stop talking, Hope," Lightning laughed at him, shaking her head.

"Gladly…" Hope wished he could just die right then. 'Why did I _saaaaayyyyyyy thaaaaaatttt_?' he moaned inwardly.

The two walked on in silence for another mile, the Tchita Woodlands looming closer and closer into view. Hope breathed out a sigh, stretching his arms behind his back. Relaxation seemed to have washed over Lightning after Hope's unintentional outburst. Her head was tilted skyward, and her hands gently clutched the pockets of her tan, corduroy skirt. Hope turned, glad to see her face was softened with peace. She practically radiated the moonlight.

"Light, I like you a lot."

Lightning turned to the boy walking beside her and caught his eyes before he could look away bashfully.

"I just- you're probably already aware. But I wanted you to know, anyway," he offered a coy smile. Then he turned away after she said nothing.

Lightning made a small noise, and Hope turned to see a miniscule smile on her lips. Upon reaching the woods, Lightning spoke up, "Were you wanting to just walk through, or would you like to stop here for a bit?"

"Let's stop for a while."

"Alright. I know a spot that should be safe for us…" Lightning trudged forward, dodging small bushes and outreaching branches while Hope clumsily stumbled over them in the darkness. Not three minutes later, the two reached a small clearing, sheltered by low-hanging shrouds of moss. Lightning set her gunblade holster at the base of a tree. Hope took this as a cue to set down his belongings, and he unrolled a thin quilt for the two of them to sit on. He then uncapped his canteen and took long gulps from it, some of the water trailing down the side of his mouth. Hope gave a refreshed gasp and wiped his mouth as Lightning laid out next to him and closed her eyes. Hope laid down and let his lids fall shut, too. His breathing came out a little louder than usual, making him very conscious of the pounding of his heart. His cheeks were warm with a blush. He felt so comfortable, and yet somewhat nervous. He wanted to get closer to Light, but was afraid of crossing a line. There was no telling if she would approve of his affections this time, even if she had in the past.

Hope took a breath and removed his gloves. Lightning's eyelids fluttered open, sensing his movement. Her blue irises seemed to have collected the small drops of moonlight that shone through the trees. Hope turned on his side, facing her, and lightly traced pale fingers over her wrist, then brushed them over her hand and to her fingertips. She watched the movement of their hands, and slowly spread her fingers so that they may intertwine with his. Hope complied, ebbing his fingers together with hers.

Lightning trailed her free hand up his arm, and began to stroke him just beneath his shirt sleeve. Hope's breath became audibly heavier. Lightning couldn't help but smile at this. That he was so transfixed by their soft-core action. She adored his innocence. In her own way, she had never been this close to a man. Never did these soft touches, nor shy looks, nor pressing of the lips carry so much meaning. She found herself stunned, once more, that Hope was providing these reactions. She wasn't sure if this was right, but she could never discount the feelings he elicited from her.

Hope moved himself closer to her, then gently pressed the side of his face above her breasts.

"Careful, there," she said. Although she didn't really mean it, she felt like she had to say it.

"Sorry," Hope peered up at her. "Your heart… it's beating really fast."

"Mm," she responded. Hope moved his head up so it was level with hers, their bangs touching in their close proximity. Lightning locked her eyes with Hope's for only a moment. A moment enough to catch the gray-green hue of his irises. Then she let her lids close again, fearing the intensity of the gaze they held. They both made the slightest movements forward, until the tips of their noses touched. Lightning could feel their breaths colliding. His coming out in warm, soft puffs. Finally, their lips dryly touched. She let her lips part slightly as Hope pressed his mouth to hers. They kissed slowly, as their bodies moved closer until the two were flush against each other. Hope placed a hand at the small of Light's back, while she ran hers along his jawline. The two parted, only to begin kissing again. Over and over, their lips pressed together. Hope moved so his head hovered over hers, and he kissed her a bit more deeply, briefly sucking at her bottom lip. He could not believe this was real. 'My Light,' Hope's heart silently claimed her. Lightning pulled away slowly, her eyes trying to refocus as she opened them. She swept her fingers across his cheek, stroking him there. He leaned in and pecked her rosy cheek in return. Her face nearly matched the pinkness of her hair. Hope liked that Light was blushing for him.

"You're beautiful," he whispered. Lightning didn't respond, out of embarrassment. Her sister had been the only other person to ever tell her that.

"Don't say that," she hoarsely grumbled, averting her eyes.

"Why not? It's true. You're perfect..."

"It makes me uncomfortable."

"… Are you afraid of compliments, Light?"

"I'm not at all used to them," she admitted.

Hope took a serious look at her, then nuzzled his head into her neck. "We'll have to change that."

After laying together for almost an hour, Lightning slowly stood up. "We should get back. Falling asleep out here isn't a good idea. Plus, I have an early morning tomorrow."

"Okay." Hope rolled up the quilt, stuffed it in his work duffle, and stood up.

"Ready?" Hope followed Lightning as she led them to a Cie'th waystone. "We did a mission out here about a month ago to get the waystone working," she explained when he gave her a quizzical look.

The two then teleported to Oerba and stood silently on the paved street.

"I'll probably just room with NORA's gang, tonight," Hope stated. Lightning gave a distracted nod. Hope smiled, noticing that her lips still had a red tint to them from their make-out session in the woods. It would take a while to get used to seeing Light with these hints of himself on her. Her hair, a little disheveled. Her cheeks, with a healthy glow. Her shirt, ever so slightly askew from Hope rubbing his hands all along her back. He wondered if he had any traces of Light on himself. He secretly looked forward to finding them, if they were there. Light's touches were so fair and few, she may have left no trace at all.

"Goodnight, Hope," Lightning said in a warm voice, stepping to him.

"Goodnight, Light," Hope hugged her close, then pecked her cheek. "We should do this again," he whispered.

Lightning pulled away, once again denying Hope a response. But he didn't mind so much. These were the ways of Lightning Farron. And he wasn't afraid, because as she wheeled around and walked back toward the waystone, she paused to glance at him, and returned his wink with a smile.


	10. And Suddenly

Greetings, Final Fantasy Folk! So here I am, trying to edit this damn thing as fast as I can (so I apologize if there are any errors, I worked on this pretty far in advance… but we all make mistakes). Why? Because I have an early morning, tomorrow (5:15 am, I believe) because I'm going on vacation in Mexico! I'm very excited. I love Mexico… especially the food. Some places are just so fantastic! My favorite restaurant (called Mi Casa) is so colorful, and has lanterns and plants, and it's open-roofed. A woman there makes delicious tortillas from scratch. You can watch her do it. And she does about 100,000 every day! Incredible. Anyway, it'll be a little over a week before my next update, just to warn you. As for the story's length, I'm thinking there will be no more than 15 chapters.

As always, enjoy! Read, review, pm me… whatever! I love it all. I love some of the messages I'm receiving; it's so fun to talk with you guys! :)

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Hope stood at attention, Saturday morning. Although the horror stories concerning the survival training groups had greatly diminished throughout the week, Hope still wanted to set a good example. He figured the adults around him would be less inclined to behave like children if he, the group's youngest member, was the most respectful. Gadot started the session by quieting the anxious crowd.

"Alright everybody," the well-muscled man spoke, "before we begin the real training, some things must be made clear. What we're dealing with here… they're not enemies. They're not villains. These are _animals_. They do not plot to end us. They're just looking for some snacks. And for now… we flesh-bags that fell from the sky may look mighty tasty…" The crowd snickered in response. "What I'm saying here is that animals are simple. Most of them, you stay outta their way, you're as safe as can be. And unless you are a part of a hunt, you are not to initiate _any_ confrontation with the beasts of this land. However, we understand there will be times they'll try to attack. Especially if you're part of a small group. In this case, we must defeat them EVERY TIME. We must cause them to adapt… we must encode it in their offsprings' DNA that humans are not to be messed with." The crowd resounded with a few "yeah"s and several fists punching the air.

"Now Cie'th," Gadot began in a more serious tone, "are another matter completely. These are bloodthirsty creatures. They will attack humans every time. You can try to avoid them, but they're damn fast, and you better be prepared to fight if you ever cross their path. We cleaned the Cie'th out of Oerba and Taejin's Tower, but more reside in a great many locations. _These_ are what we're going after. You know how to beat them, and I promise you can defeat pretty much any other creature that faces you. The thing about these guys… their weak point is magic. And we don't got any for ourselves, do we? We have news from the mechanics of the Mah'habara that they are currently trying to supply us with manadrives. But until we have our hands on those, we have to work on building our other strengths. Lightning?" The man nodded to the ex-sergeant, his mohawk bobbing with the movement of his head. Lightning stepped forward as the burly man slid back behind her, situating himself next to Snow.

Lightning cleared her throat, "Right now, we are safe. Right now, you have soldiers guarding you. It may not always be enough, but you are as safe as you can be in a world like this and in these conditions. Before we can hand over weapons and manadrives to you, you must discover where your talents lie, and strengthen them. Do not worry about being well-rounded yet. As it stands, you will always be part of a group. And with that, you have the advantage to refine your talents until you can comfortably work on other aspects. Our goal is to not leave you as sloppy novices in each area of combat. You are to become experts of specific things. I will tell you now, not many of you can handle the heat of battle in the beginning. You'll find yourselves in supportive roles, getting potions, antidotes and bandages to your comrades. Some of you may be able to barbarically tear apart your foes with your bare hands, like these two," Lightning jerked her head in the direction of Snow and Gadot, who dramatically posed behind her, flexing their muscles, causing an eruption of giggles amongst the trainees. "More of you still will need weapons and manadrives. Once we get out on the field, we'll equip you with temps that provide some defensive attributes. The defensive manadrives coming out right now have a very good set of features: Libra, Cure, Esuna, Shell, Protect, and I believe there is also Haste…" Hope nodded to her, indicating her assumption was correct. "Alright, with a definite on the Haste. So, next week, we'll have those in for you to use. As for today, Snow and I will be teaching you some evasive and defensive moves. And hopefully we'll get to start you on some sword training."

Hope was shocked at all of the new techniques he was learning throughout the training session. He thought he'd be ahead of the group due to his fighting experience. But now that he looked back on it, he had flimsy foundations. He definitely lacked grace on the battlefield, even as he became more experienced and his attacks grew more powerful. He knew he could probably outmatch any of the civilians, were his strength to be tested. But when it came to the fundamentals, he was on the same page as everyone else.

Snow demonstrated defensive stances and blocks, while Lightning displayed the more agile, evasive moves. By the end of training, Hope learned the proper way to shield blows with his arms, and how to backward-roll into a standing position if brought to the ground. Many of Lightning's moves were like dance steps and involved being aware of one's position. Learning this had been like a game, watching the angle and speed at which an attack came, and making the proper footwork to avoid it. Lightning had explained it in an interesting way.

"It's like a child chasing you… you can run and run all you like, but the vigor will be on their side and they'll eventually catch you up. The way to win with expending the least amount of energy is through good footwork. A child will reach out to grab you, but you can win again and again, by side-stepping, moving yourself around them. Watching where they're about to aim, and moving that part of yourself. This is also effective, because you can always face your opponent. You're always on guard. Try it on your kids someday…" The group laughed in response, catching on easily how to perform these moves.

After training, Hope approached his three friends.

"Hey, so you caught us on the best day, bro!" Snow grabbed Hope and rubbed his fist into the boy's silver-blonde hair.

"Augh!" Hope pried himself from Snow's grasp. "Thanks for the new hairdo!"

Snow shrugged. "Looks the same to me."

"_HA-HA_," Hope said sarcastically. Gadot made it clear he thought it was hilarious. Lightning rolled her eyes, but smiled at the boys. She was relieved that her last training session of the week had gone so well. It made her wonder why things had been thrown in such a bad direction on the first day.

"Hey," she stated, "I'm going to the tower. I need to report to Rosch and tell him our progress so far. I'll probably miss dinner, too. " She paused to look at her youngest teammate. "Hope, I'll see you tonight at the usual spot."

"Yeah, of course!" he nodded happily.

As Lightning headed away from the guys, toward one of the waystones, Gadot turned to Hope and crossed his arms over his puffed out chest. Hope's eye twitched. Gadot could be so… intimidating. It was as though someone stuffed a King Behemoth into a man's body and proclaimed 'Gadot has been born!'

"You and Lightning Farron have a 'usual spot'?" he questioned. "Shit, what kind of fifteen-year-old are you?"

"Woah. Cool it with the language," Snow warned.

"It's not like that," the youngest said, offering an awkward laugh.

Snow smirked at Hope. "Oh yeah? So you're not sleeping with her, then?"

"I am," Hope said, causing an awestruck Gadot's jaw to slacken. "Literally. Sleeping. _Next_ to her." Hope had grown used to Snow's teasing and eventually learned to retaliate in his own playful way. Of course, the man didn't know that Hope and Lightning were actually developing a relationship; which made the insinuations secretly enjoyable to Hope. "Should I tell Serah you're talking about her sister in such a vulgar way?"

Snow's face paled slightly, but in a second he recovered. "Should I tell her that you're sleeping _next_ to her sister?" he said air-quoting the word 'next.' Hope laughed and threw a punch at Snow's bicep. "Hey!" he grumbled, "Sheesh, I forgot how tough you got. All to impress Light, right?" Hope was soon upon the man's shoulders, tearing off his black bandana (revealing an explosion of static-y blonde hair). The larger man wailed as the extra weight of Hope sent him crashing to the ground. Hope leapt off of Snow and ran for his life, leaving in the dust Gadot -laughing his brains out- and Snow, screaming all sorts of profanity.

…

"That is a relief," Rosch stated, just having heard Lightning's report of the day. "I was dismayed to learn of Monday's session. I thought it unfitting for you, not being able to control the group. I suspected them to be a timid bunch, especially under your watch. But I am glad to know that things have improved. We can't afford to have unskilled, panic-stricken people out there." Lightning nodded in agreement. "Now, do you think it may be necessary to restart Monday's session with the fresh batch of knowledge you fed to the other groups?"

Lightning put a thoughtful thumb to her chin. "Better to do that then just let it slip by."

"Alright. We can afford the lost time. After all, we are given the task to rebuild the world the way we need it to be. We shouldn't make any mistakes along the way." The two stood in the cold, stone room. Despite the desert terrain and summer weather just outside, the tower could become rather drafty. Lightning caught Rosch shiver slightly.

"You alright?" she asked, taking a step toward the man.

"I'm fine. I've just been cooped up in this damn room all week. No… all month is more like it." He gave a cynical chuckle. "Thank you for the concern, though."

"Maybe you should spend the day out tomorrow."

"Already ahead of you, Miss Farron. That's why I called you in, today. I wanted to get all the reports finished. I was hoping to spend my Sunday in the presence of actual sun." Lightning smiled at him. He returned it. "Miss Farron…" his voice echoed in the large room. "Would you like to accompany me, tomorrow?"

Lightning shrugged. "If you want." She had planned on spending the day with Hope. He had mentioned that they could have a picnic by the sea. While Lightning was anything but romantic, the sincerity of his offer touched her. She tried imagining Rosch joining the two of them for this picnic. It was a comical scene in her mind, but she felt bad for the older man. He felt he owed a debt to his civilization and worked night after night for the betterment of their condition. While Lightning was against him doing so much work on his own, she understood that his choices were personal. If the only way he could forgive himself for sending their world to hell was this, she wasn't going to halt him on his walk to redemption.

Yaag Rosch snorted in amusement and stepped toward her. "Let me rephrase…" he said. Then he suddenly reached out and touched her hand, his eyes catching hers, "_Please_, spend tomorrow in my company…"

…

A hiccup escaped from Hope's mouth as he exited the restaurant. 'Probably shouldn't have eaten so fast,' he thought to himself. He patted his stomach and smiled as he was able to prevent another hiccup from forcing its way out. He then rushed over to the schoolhouse, and saw Lightning's profile silhouetted against the darkening sky. Once inside the building, Hope paused and removed his daywear and shoes. From his knapsack, he pulled out his large nightshirt that nearly surpassed the length of his boxers. While Hope figured he and Light would talk, as they always did, he was ready to turn in early that night. He tripped as he ran up the steps to the deck, and smiled to himself as he was greeted by the pleasant scent of the deck's summer flowers. Lightning was at the edge of the deck, looking out toward the sea. She didn't turn as he reached the top of the stairs, which surprised Hope, considering he had been rather loud. He crept over to the young woman and when she still did not turn, he planted a gentle kiss atop her head.

"Hope," Lightning turned, her fixation on other thoughts being broken by the boy.

"Hey, Light." He stepped backward so he could fully view her face only to find that her eyes wouldn't meet his. "Are you okay?"

She didn't answer, only letting her eyes drift over the floorboards. He sat next to her and patiently waited. He ran his hand up and down her toned arm, trying to soothe the ex-soldier. Her muscles only tensed.

"You can tell me anything, remember?" Hope attempted, slowly removing his hand from her skin and giving her a concerned look. After another minute, his voice became a bit more pleading. "Light, just-"

"Don't, Hope." Lightning turned to him, her face devoid of emotion. Trying not to flinch, Hope awaited her next words. What was going on? She turned away and kneaded the space between her eyebrows with her fingers. She then caught his gaze, her eyes telling volumes, while at the same time withholding all information. Nerves struck the boy so hard, he felt like he was going to be sick, as he waited for her to explain herself.

'Please… don't say it…' he silently begged.

"Hope," she finally exhaled. "We need to stop. This… needs to come to an end."

His hands trembled and a lump formed in his throat. Yet he managed to croak, "Why? What's wrong?"

"_We_ are what is wrong, Hope," Lightning stated, trying to drive the point home.

Hope stared at her, doe-eyed and not allowing the words to penetrate. "'_We_'? But… we're just us…"

"Well maybe we're 'just us' to ourselves" she firmly stated, "But to everyone else, we are two former l'Cie. Every eye of every human is watching us with skepticism. No one will accept us if our relationship is revealed."

"Then we'll keep it secret!" Hope retorted, his voice laced with anger. Lightning's eyebrows dipped down, her disapproval clear. She was trying to remain calm and keep her resolve strong. She truthfully didn't care about any consequences she would have to face, were their 'situation' to be uncovered. But for Hope to be in a relationship filled with secrets and lies made her sick to her stomach. It was so wrong. How could she have asked that of him?

"Hope, you know that's not an option."

"So… what? I can't be with you anymore? That's what you're saying?" he said as a hot tear rolled down his cheek, defying his angry front.

Lightning gave Hope a long, hard look. She took in his form, looking so vulnerable in the large, pale nightshirt. His eyebrows knit together. And the one defiant tear making its way down his face. She sighed, her features softening. "Hope, we will always be partners… You have to trust me. This is your chance at a normal life-"

Hope shook his head. "I don't want a normal life…I may have had that before, but I lost it with Cocoon and my parents. I can never go back to who I was." Instantly the image of his former self crowded his mind. Hope Estheim, half a year prior, going to his parents with problems, expecting them to find solutions for him, never going out of his way to look after others. Then he saw himself with Lightning, and he watched himself grow into a man, dealing with pain and setting things right, learning to forgive and stay strong, surviving… and also truly living for the first time in his life. And it was all because of her. "Light, all I have is you…"

"Listen," Lightning urged, feeling tears start to prick at her eyes and frowning to keep them at bay, "you have people that care about you, Hope. You _do_ have a chance to lead a normal life. You can find someone else. But if you're with me, people will not understand that. Society will spit us out. I don't want to steal your youth from you. I already took away everything else. I put your normal life to an end."

"You never stole anything from me," Hope whispered. But he allowed the rest of her words to sink in. It dawned on him, the guilt she felt… and then he realized… perhaps when she had reciprocated his feelings, it was because she felt guilty. Maybe she never actually cared about him in that way. She just felt bad for bringing him into this world, and thought returning his feelings would compensate for the suffering he endured. "Light… have I been keeping you from happiness?"

She shook her head. "Of course not. Hope, you're the reason I didn't drown in sorrow. I will always be grateful for that." Suddenly, Hope's body fell into hers as he tried holding back a sob. She hugged him close, running a hand through his hair as he wrapped both arms around her waist.

"Is there even a chance for me? Like… someday, in the future?" Hope said, trying to be optimistic. Trying to make her smile for him.

"Can't say I know. But," she finally smiled, "you're a front-runner." She extended her arms, holding Hope out before her and looking at his face. "Just promise me… don't wait for that to happen. There's a reason why I've been alone for so long." Hope remained silent, not ready to promise that. He only pulled her to him, hugging her for as long as she would allow.

"Claire, I love you."

"I love you too, Hope."

He allowed a few tears cascade onto Light's shirt, knowing she did not mean the words in the way he so desperately wanted her to.


	11. Constants and Changes

Salutations everyone! (heh nerdy greeting) My little blurb here will be a bit longer than usual, so please bear with me. Or… you can skip it if you reaaaalllly want to.

I've got the rest of this story pretty much figured out, and I'm so ready to get it all written down! I apologize for leaving you all hanging… especially for such a LONGGG TIME! I had a difficult time getting myself to sit down and write. Getting it started is the hardest part, you know? Yes, you KNOW. I am so happy about the new reviewers and favorites and stuff! I'll be sure to write back as soon as possible, because you make me very happy. A couple people in particular have been such amazing support to me, and I love when you write to me! Your words are so encouraging, and talking to you is just fun in general!

MEXICO! That was probably the best trip I've ever had there (and I think I've visited Mexico about 20 times?). So, Google search 'arch of Cabo' and that's where I was! Ish. I actually stayed at a resort. But the beach that's under the arch? It only appears once every 4-7 years (I've heard different numbers from different people). And the water level was low enough to create a beach this time around! Only, see those pictures of couples romantically walking under the arch? That's mostly for show, because you're not really allowed to go there because the tide is way too rough and you could die or something. Only guess what? I jumped off of my jet ski and swam over to the beach under the arch like a bad person! :) HAHA! Only then a few days later, the tide got low enough so that people could walk to it from behind Lovers Beach (another key landmark of Cabo san Lucas). Soooo… I felt less awesome. But the trip was still amazing. The food was fantastic, and I made some friends, so that was cool!

There's not much I can say to describe this chapter, but I hope for those of you who were waiting for it, you will enjoy! And not to worry, the next chapter will be soon to follow!

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Two Months Later…

"WHOO!" Lebreau howled as her Belladonna Wand's hooks anchored into the back of an Amphisbaena. The large, winged creature screeched as its flight was interrupted, stopping short in the sky. Lebreau gritted her teeth, concentrating her strength on holding the creature back. Confident in her hold on the beast, she turned to Hope. "Go!"

The silver-haired boy ran forth, then leapt powerfully into the air. Before the soles of his boots left the ground, he shot a quick Aero spell downward, achieving a great boost in height. Outstretching his arms and legs, Hope earned a square landing on the Amphisbaena. He then swiftly scrambled to its haunches, if it could even be called that. The ugly, savage head that served as the creature's "hindquarters" bucked at him, trying to throw Hope from his perch. His hold proved steadfast. After much writhing on the beast's part, Hope was able to lasso a strong rope around the "butt-head" (as Snow liked to call it). In order to make a safe catch, the butt-head needed to be tied in order to prevent its devastating feeding stoop attack.

"I got it!" Hope called down to his teammates.

Lebreau grunted, pulling hard against the wild beating of the Amphisbaena's wings. Gadot cast his hooks into the beast, helping to reel in their catch. A man named Karmin moved in next, using his gloved hands to grasp the animal's tail. Losing no time, Karmin used his dagger to saw off the tail's poisonous claw. The animal gave one last defiant caw before it was brought down. Hope leapt from its back and met Karmin at the tail, using a fire spell to stop the bleeding, then a paralyze spell to remove the pain.

"Phew! We are _so_ on a roll!" Lebreau said, flipping her sweat-drenched locks from her face.

Gadot and Karmin bound the Amphisbaena's snout and began hauling it across the Steppe. It beat its wings in protest, trying to escape, but the two athletic men pulled it along, as though it were a kite. They reached a mountainside on which chain leashes were nailed, for the purpose of restraining and taming the winged creatures. Two were already chained to the mountainside from earlier in the day. One went into a frenzy at the sight of the newcomer, while the other watched curiously, using the muscled talons of its wings to hold itself up from the ground.

Hope watched as the two men chained their third catch. He then ran his hand gingerly over the side of his face. The first monster he caught that day had jabbed him with the large spikes on its back as it struggled to shake off the boy. It had effectively cut him across his soft, pale cheek. A quick cure spell closed the wound, but the scar that remained still had hints of soreness. Karmin jogged up to Hope and Lebreau and grinned.

"Should we stop for today? Three fills our quota for this mission," the young man informed.

"Aw, come on! We can easily snag three more!" Lebreau thrust her Belladonna Wand into the air. Hope's heart sank. He couldn't agree less. He was the one who had to wrestle the ugly butt-heads _in the sky_. Sure, Lebreau and Gadot took turns holding the thing while he wrestled it, but they didn't have to move. AND they were buffed up with Bravery spells. Seeing the look on Hope's face, Lebreau chuckled. "Juuuussssst kidding. Let's pack up!"

"You got that bag, Hope?" Karmin questioned, carefully picking up the poison claw he had just recently severed from the beast. Hope shuffled through his bag of equipment and pulled out a cloth sack lined with plastic. He held it open as Karmin proceeded to drop the claw inside, along with the two other claws they scored that day. The poison of the claws could be used for creating vaccines and immunization potions. Also, research of Pulsian weaponry revealed that the claws could prove useful components in constructing weapons. The old team had been amused and astonished to learn that the rods Vanille had been equipped with were not the most bizarre of the Pulsian weapons. It seemed the only requirement for most of the equipment was a handle. Otherwise, anything was fair game to put atop the handles. One of the weapons even included an entire Amphisbaena butt-head. Naturally, only the most robust men could wield such a thing.

Once, Sazh had looked through the old records of equipment and exclaimed, "Damn, that's ugly." Hope had run to his side to see, and was greeted with an image of the hideous weapon. Sazh shook his head. "Then again, that's pretty smart. Half the enemies you'd encounter would run away at the sight of that thing."

Once Gadot returned to his team, the four returned to their checkpoint and reported the completion of their mission. Gadot saluted his teammates and ran off saying that he was going to check on the other groups that were still in the field. The others were free to go.

…

Hope trudged through the combination of mud and grass, making his way through the Tchita Woodlands. He had a spot he found very relaxing, and went there whenever he needed to get away. Which was frequent, these days. This was the only place where Hope could be himself and let his hurt out. The others had gained the impression that the reason why Hope and Lightning were no longer close was because Hope had confessed his feelings and she had not taken it well. Serah and Snow had both exchanged apologies with the boy, and did not discuss it further, out of guilt. Despite Hope's assurance that it wasn't their fault, the two felt partially responsible for encouraging Hope, even though it was thought of as harmless joking. Sazh was particularly empathetic and didn't press Hope for information. Nor did the man ever exclaim 'I told you so.' He knew Hope was discouraged enough as it was. And as far as Sazh was concerned, the kid still needed a solid paternal figure; and he was willing to be that for him.

Essentially, for the sake of secrecy, none of them had any idea what _really_ happened. Hope felt betrayed. At one point, Light was his. But the rug was ripped from under him. He was told he couldn't have her anymore because suddenly, in her eyes, they were "wrong." She couldn't have figured that out earlier? What made her change her mind? Hope knew there was something dishonest about her explanation months ago, but he was never able to figure it out. In the times he had tried to get alone with her to ask, she would instantly shut down and put on her soldier front. The last time they had this conversation, she had screamed at him, "**Can't you just get over this?** There's nothing more I can say to you."

It was a month ago when she had said this. Since then, their relationship had developed into a passing nod. One of those comrade things. Although in the past week, Hope had become fed up with it, because it was a lie to him. He avoided being near her altogether. And when she was present, he couldn't afford a glance when he knew she was looking. Why was she looking at him, anyway? Just to give him another one of her comrade nod of lies? In a way, Hope hated Lightning for taking away his Light.

Suddenly, the boy encountered a pack of Rafflesias, the flowering leeches. He kept forgetting that in the woodlands, their blooms were yellow rather than vibrant red. This was probably the second time his thoughts had caused him to overlook the leeches. He readied himself for battle, clicking his manadrive on. With a guttural cry, Hope cast a couple rounds of firaga, taking out half of the pack. With surprising speed, the slug-like creatures jumped at him, one sinking its circles of teeth into him. Hope winced but ignored the pain, holding off on a cure spell so he could dish out a couple more fire spells. In another five seconds, the Rafflesias were dispatched, wilted flowers and scorch marks on the ground being the only evidence of the battle. Hope let a few tears spill out of his eyes. Strangely enough, he wished he was a l'Cie right now. In times like these, the frustration that coursed through him could be released through the firaga spells. Sometimes, sadness gave him power. But the magic he cast now was not his own. Instead of feeling the power exuding from his body, the sadness lingered. Power came from his manadrive, not from him. It made Hope feel weak. He wanted to be able to wield a sword. _That_ was real power. Lightning flashed in his mind, her body channeling strength, without the need for magic.

Hope promised himself he'd be as strong as her, someday.

…

Rosch -this civilization could all agree- was an incredible leader. Within the last two months, a pharmacy had been developed, housing a whole manner of vaccines and potions. A small hospital was built, solely for those who were in dire need of constant care. Nearly all of the civilians had learned how to treat themselves and others, thanks to their experience on the battlefield. Currently, the trainees were capturing animals for study. Those experienced in science were able to fill journals with information, which were cycled back to the training teams to enhance their knowledge on the field. Some of the creatures such as King Behemoths, Gorgonopsids, and Amphisbaenas could be trained; some of which even proved useful allies in battle. Two of the more daring trainees had taught themselves to ride Megistotherians. Needless to say, these trainees had been under Snow's command.

Perhaps the most anticipated addition to the growing village was the new schoolhouse. All of the children attended a three-hour class each week, taking place when their parents were occupied with a training session.

Indeed, Rosch was trusted and beloved by the civilians. And if any were asked, they would agree that any debt he owed to society was repaid in these five long months. Rosch himself was able to relinquish his command little by little, seeing that the civilization was doing so well on its own. He did not feel comfortable completely giving up his post, because he wanted everything to go well by his standards, and he could never ask another to fill his shoes. Lightning was the only other person with whom he shared this power. While he used to envy Lightning and her 'band of l'Cie' with their clear direction and strength, he now admired her. Rosch was not unfamiliar with coming second to a woman. He could have been the highest ranked official of PSICOM, had he not fallen short of Jihl. He had been jealous of her, also. And at that time in his life, he had never really grown out of that jealousy. In fact, much of his work as Lieutenant was in attempt to display superior skills. He had been so selfish then, only caring of his appearance. Now, where there were no lives to spare, he was truly able to reveal his potential. Now, he didn't even care how he looked as long as his people were safe under his watch.

The civilization was grateful. And once again, all would agree: Yaag Rosch deserved a happy ending.

As Lightning Farron stepped into his office, the man smiled.


	12. We Will Always

Hello everyone! Hope you're all doing well. My summer definitely improved since the last update. I've been taking the reigns in life, so to speak. I'm working and making some money, which is fantastic. I'm seeing a chiropractor about 3 times a week, which is good, I guess. Other than that, I've been keeping up with friends, and staying focused on my goals. It feels great.

Say, have any of you seen previews/gameplay for 'Alice: Madness Returns'? Looks creepy as hell. I think I'll buy it someday.

Well, we're in the home stretch! One more chapter after this one. Maybe two. We'll see what happens once I start writing. :) I hope you enjoy!

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She snatched her hand away. Not necessarily out of anger, but in shock at the advancement.

"My apologies," he said with a calmness, but Lightning could sense he was taken aback. She stared at the floor, her expression unreadable, but her mind in deep contemplation. He did not realize she was making a big decision at that moment. He only learned the result of her choice.

"I was just surprised," Lightning murmured.

He replied with a relieved sigh. Perhaps she did not mind then… He held out his hand, again, beckoning the woman in front of him to take it in hers. Her sky-blue eyes flicked up at his, and she slowly shook her head.

"Sorry."

"Forgive me then, Miss Farron, for my boldness."

…

Lightning lay on the cool metal remnants of some ancient machinery, embedded into the earth. She inspected her saber, checking each of the hinges and screws, making sure there were no signs of rusting or obstructions. She had seen many of these weapons pause in mid-transition to its blade form, rendering it useless for battle. Keeping the saber in good condition was a meticulous chore. Its only flaw, in Lightning's opinion. Otherwise, it was reliable, fast, shot accurately, and cut beautifully. Inspecting the weapon had become second nature to the ex-soldier. So much that she didn't have to think about it. Instead, she let her mind drift elsewhere: to that day, two months ago, as it so frequently found itself. Was it really the right choice for her to leave things the way she did? She winced, trying to imagine herself telling Rosch the truth. 'This was the only choice,' Lightning decided, as she always did when she asked herself this. But then, why _did_ she continually ask herself this?

She held her weapon outward, the sun catching on its blade. With a short burst of frustration, she swung her blade forward and shattered the branch off of a nearby tree, allowing an angry grunt to escape from behind her teeth. She despised that she couldn't move on. Her current relationship with Hope vexed her. Her stream of consciousness always led to him, taxing her brain. The only escape Lightning had was the fact that Hope had no idea what power he had over her. He had no clue that, by loving her, he forged a unique bond that no other person on the planet could say they had with her. And he was clueless to the truth that every time he approached her with questions and pain in his eyes, her resolve crumbled bit by bit. In a way, Lightning wished Hope Estheim would topple her walls. But she understood that his insecurities kept him from prodding. He trusted her enough to believe that she truly felt they were wrong. But what hurt Lightning the most was that he believed her because he was convinced that he didn't deserve her.

…

Hope stretched out his body on the grass that lined the edge of a creek. Serah and Snow laid out next to him, letting the warm breeze dry their bodies, soaked from a swim in the creek. Dajh shook out his afro, which was sagging with water. Hope examined his legs and frowned, finding that they practically mirrored the sunlight.

The foursome had spent the morning together, all agreeing it was too hot for anything _but _swimming. They had all enjoyed an hour of play in the refreshing water, until Serah's toe had been bitten by a snapping turtle. Her shriek, along with the discovery of the unfriendly reptile, sent the foursome scrambling out of the water. After inspecting the tiny wound, they all settled down and laughed amongst themselves. Not one of them -including Serah and Dajh- were afraid of the beasts of the land. But a little turtle had them running for their lives. Dajh had only run after seeing his older companions do so. And he had yet to cease his teasing of them.

"How are things with Sis?" Serah asked Hope, cocking her head in his direction.

"Um, not that good," Hope admitted, running a hand through his hair, uncomfortable with the topic. "We don't really talk. Last time we did, she got angry with me."

Serah gave an agitated sigh. She did not approve of her sister's behavior. Poor Hope had already gone through enough, being rejected by her. Did she really have to be so harsh? In fact, Serah had been convinced that Claire loved Hope. Why could she not at least be understanding of the teenager's feelings, even if she didn't see him that way?

"Hey, I told you not to worry. It's not your fault," Hope caught the tension in Serah's features. "This is between Light and me."

Serah's face softened and she smiled at Hope. "You're such a sweetheart. I wish Claire could learn from you." Snow began nodding wildly from over Serah's shoulder. "But you know," Serah continued, "in everything she does, she has good intentions, or at least some reasoning."

Hope's mind flashed back to times when Light had gone against him, trying to set him on the right path. She tried convincing him not to kill Snow, so as to prevent staining his mind with guilt and grief. She tried pushing him away from emotion and sympathy so he could keep surviving on their journey. Even though she had not been _right_ every time, she tried doing what would help him the most in every situation. But that was what made this case difficult to compute. How had toying with him, convincing him that she cared about him _like that_, then abruptly casting him aside been in his best interest?

"Hey," Snow piped up, "I always wondered… What made Light start to like you?"

Hope had to remind himself that Snow meant "like" in a platonic way. He could pin-point _when_ things had changed between Light and himself. _What_ had caused the change was a bit more difficult. "Well… I know things were different after she had gotten her Eidolon. We had no choice but to fight for our lives then. But… I don't think fighting together was what changed things… We had been making our way along, and I helped as much as I could, but she told me I was slowing her down. She was ready to ditch me." Hope really hated that part of the memory. He was so embarrassed when he had tripped for about the thousandth time in that wasteland. And it was completely evident in her voice how sick of him she had become. "But I stayed with her. At the time, I didn't have any other choice. I think she saw that, too."

Snow nodded.

"I know she's not a cruel person," Hope added, "It's just that she was trying to find a way to save you, Serah." He smiled at her, and she returned it. "I was just some kid she didn't know. How could I have meant enough for her to slow down?"

"What about Sazh and Vanille?" Snow questioned, "Weren't they with you, too?"

"Uh, no they weren't. I moved ahead with Light. She left me behind once, but we caught up again. And then I… uh, I guess I decided to stay with her. Sazh and Vanille didn't keep up."

Serah placed a hand on Hope's shoulder. "You know, I think she helped you because you chose to stay with her. People don't make that choice very often."

Snow's face became filled with revelation. "Hey, maybe that's how you get her to like you again! You should let her know that you still 'choose' her, even if she doesn't think of you that way. You still want to be friends with her, right?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"Well, get up, man! " Snow ran behind Hope and pulled him up. "Go show her you're not going to put up with her 'tude!"

"That's right!" Serah became enthused, "Neither of you have stopped caring for each other. Now prove it!"

"Uhh…" Hope's jaw slackened. Obviously, the two didn't get it. This was not a matter of him not caring for Lightning. It was about her changed feelings. And her refusal to tell him _why_ things had changed. But then again, maybe they had a point. Perhaps he needed to fight for his answers to show her that it really mattered to him. He couldn't move on from this without knowing why things were different between them.

…

Independence used to be an unfamiliar characteristic to Hope. But Lightning had taught him otherwise, just as he had taught her to accept the assistance of others. The two had gained valuable traits from one another. They had helped each other grow into better people. Now, the fifteen-year-old found solace in his times of introspection.

Hope found himself wanting to be alone with his thoughts that evening. Instead of heading to the woodlands (he was secretly afraid to go by himself at night), he went to the old schoolhouse and sat at the deck's edge, overlooking the sea. All day, scenarios had run through his head. Each of them resulting in an outraged Lightning, refusing to hear him again. It proved difficult searching for a way to approach this topic with her. It was one that always led to a feeling of dejection, and an outlook that seemed to say things would never be alright between the two of them. These thoughts made Hope grow weary. Perhaps the answer was something that would come in time. He sighed skyward, and thanked his parents for listening to his troubles, then ventured down into the schoolroom to prepare for bed. He removed his shorts and boxers which were stale from the day's swim. He threw his shirt in the pile, then reached inside his duffle for what served as his pajamas. As he was pulling on a clean pair of boxer shorts, he heard a small shuffle from the front of the room.

"Oh, sorry Hope." The voice belonging to none other than the object of his thoughts.

Hope pulled the shorts up as fast as possible and glanced over his shoulder just in time to catch Lightning whirl around on her heel and face the opposite wall. "It's okay," he managed to say cooly, despite his heart hammering inside his chest. He was nervous because her presence startled him, not because Lightning had caught him nearly stark naked. They had their fair share of invasions of privacy on their journey. The image of Vanille chasing Fang around their encampment came to mind. The older Oerban woman had stolen the red-head's clothes while she was bathing in a river. Vanille was hardly self-conscious as she came screaming after the woman, calling even more attention to her predicament. Apparently on Pulse, revealing one's self wasn't the offensive fallacy it was on Cocoon. And without walls or showers, the rest of the group had grown accustomed to a great depletion of privacy in their daily rituals.

As soon as Hope pulled his nightshirt over his head, he cleared his throat. "Decent," he stated. Lightning turned around and faced him.

She released a pent-up sigh. "Can we talk?"

Hope caught her eyes, which held a serious gaze, and nodded. "Yeah."

Wordlessly, they both headed up to the deck and sat at the edge, allowing their legs to dangle over the rim. Hope took a chance to look at her. He hadn't done so in a long time. She wore short boots, similar to the pair he owned. Her corduroy skirt was jet black, and she donned a maroon, elbow-length top that laced up the front. Hope recognized it as an outfit she often wore on Sunday, during her down time.

"What did you want to talk about?" he finally asked.

"About a month ago, you said you didn't think I was being completely honest with you. I was keeping something from you?" she looked at him and he nodded to indicate that he remembered. She continued, "Well, you were right. And I'm ready to tell you the truth."

"Why now?"

Lightning paused for a moment. "I just want things to be alright with us."

"Serah talked to you, didn't she?" Hope interjected, a smirk of amusement on his lips.

Lightning snorted. "Yeah." She then composed herself. "You understand that this doesn't mean things go back to the way they were. Because they _can't_. But I just don't want us to pretend we're not close."

Hope didn't look her in the eye as he gave a half-hearted nod. Indeed, he wanted their closeness to be restored. However, her unfaltering stance on the matter bothered him.

"Hope," she tried to convince him, "I think the world of you. I know that I'm the reason a rift grew between us. That's how I've always been with people. But with you… I'm not okay with it. I want us to stay close." Her face fell a bit as she added, "You understand me above all others."

"If that's true, I'm not sure why you-"

"Please, just listen and try to understand what I'm going to tell you."

Hope held his tongue and waited for her to explain.

"That day… when we had our talk? Rosch had approached me." Lightning let out a sigh. "As you know, he and I work close together. And the fact of the matter is, he and I are very much alike."

Hope nodded, but his heart began to sink, fearing the direction this conversation was beginning to take.

"I suppose," Lightning went on, "that is why he grew fond of me. You see, he made it clear he wished to… pursue… me."

"So, you wanted… that is, you… liked him?" Hope's throat felt as though it was being strangled. Of course, how could he ever hope to compete with Rosch? Rosch was a _man_. A _bold, independent, leader_ man.

Lightning averted her eyes. "Rosch is a good man. And to be honest, if I could picture myself in any sort of realistic relationship, he makes the most sense. But… I never cared for him like that. Maybe I'm supposed to like him, and maybe I was supposed to be an obedient soldier, but I quit those things. Being a soldier meant I had to kill Serah instead of save her. Being with Rosch may mean we _look_ right together. But in the end, it'd never really feel right. People like him, and NORA, and… everyone that's not you or Serah see me as the soldier. Devoid of emotion."

"Rosch must've seen something more," Hope pressed.

Lightning glanced at him, then tilted her head upward. "He saw what I wanted him to see. Someone strong and able to take care of herself." She fidgeted with her hands. "That day, I wanted more than anything to tell him that the reason I couldn't accept his advances was because my heart belonged to someone else. But I chose not to."

Hope listened intently. He had been wrong, then. She had not pretended to care about him for his benefit. But what had happened? Why did she turn away from their relationship? Was she pretending that she cared about Rosch?

"All I could see in my mind was the disgust on his face, if he knew about you. And then I saw it on everyone's face. It was a nightmare… picturing every single person pass us by and scowl… and turn away in _repulsion_. At you, of all people… I couldn't bear it." Lightning wrung her hands together in front of her chest, and furrowed her brow. "To have everyone turn from you like that… not even trying to understand… And you had already lost so much, Hope. All I want to give you is the world; not push everyone else from you and leave you with just me."

"Light…"

"Don't say that no one else matters. These people make up your world, too. You need them to survive."

"Light," Hope patiently began again, "did you make this decision for _me_? Or was it for us both?"

Lightning narrowed her eyes. "For you."

"So you didn't make this decision because I was an inconvenience to you…?"

"You were never an inconvenience, Hope. Sure, I may've thought that when I first met you, but I was wrong. You had helped me more than you know."

"You had feelings for me, still…" Hope stated.

"In case you haven't noticed, I have always gone after what I want. I don't really give a damn about rules… When my little sister was at risk of turning Cie'th, I cut everyone in my path. When I began to realize my feelings for you… age meant nothing to me. But just because I want something doesn't mean it's what you need. And that is especially true in your case… You need people looking out for you and seeing you for who you are, not judging you for being a l'Cie or being with me…"

Hope swallowed. "Wow…" he scratched the side of his head, trying to picture Light making this choice simply to protect him from judgement. "Light," Hope gently set his hand over hers, establishing the comforting connection. Trying to say, without words, that he realized her intentions. He sighed heavily, "You always say we're partners… I wish you'd just trust me like one."

"I know what you're like, Hope. You wouldn't have listened to reason. You'd throw away your other connections just to keep us together. I couldn't let you do that," Lightning said, giving him a knowing look. The boy only chuckled.

"What makes you think I'm going to stop trying to keep us together?"

Discomfort quickly flashed over Lightning's face at his words. She drew her hand back, realizing that perhaps Hope didn't understand after all.

"Hey, listen to me, will you?" Hope's lips quivered, trying to hold back a smile. Lightning was so predictable… "I wish you'd trust me to listen to what you have to say… and trust me to help come up with a solution, too. I mean, I'm not completely unreasonable, right?" She quirked an eyebrow at him. "I hear what you're saying," Hope reaffirmed. "But I think I have a say, too. If you choose me, I get to choose you back, don't I? It's not fair if you decide that for me."

"So suppose we do this, then. How do you _think_ everyone would react?" Lightning snapped, "Because I can assure you, they won't welcome it."

"They'll _deal_ with it," Hope pressed, "Whether anyone likes it or not, it's our choice alone."

Lightning began to rub her temples, the conversation burning her out.

"What determines maturity?" The sudden question surprised Lightning. And before she could answer, the silvery-blonde continued, "Where we are in school, sure. Life circumstances, definitely. But look at what we've gone through. No one can say they've endured what we have. Our parents and friends were lost and we were forced to grow up. We got through it… and what's more is that we really just helped each other. Light, I'd argue that we're at the same place in life."

The ex-soldier sat still. But Hope could tell by her far-off expression that she was absorbing this.

"Obviously you have a few years on me… but I think I at least beat Snow, right?"

Lightning smiled and turned to Hope.

"Anyways," Hope continued, "not everyone will hate it. Serah and Snow and Sazh are always on our side. NORA isn't too far behind… I think a lot more people will understand than you think. We were all given a second chance at life, you know? We can't take things like love for granted. I think everyone can relate to that."

"You sure are optimistic about people," Lightning stated, her tone with hinting with amusement.

"Well, it's not like we have to shout it from the rooftops," Hope laughed. "They'll get more and more used to seeing us."

Lightning set her chin against her bent knees, her expression unreadable, but her mind in deep contemplation. He realized she was making a big decision at that moment.

"Um, what do you think?" Hope asked, hopeful.

Her sky-blue eyes flicked up at his forest-green ones; and slowly, she took his hand.


	13. Be Us

AHHHH! It's 2 a.m… I'm dying… One odd fact about me, I'm more of an early bird than a night owl. I actually go for a happy medium. Go to bed at 11, wake up at 8. Yeah. This summer has been a blast so far, and I hope there are more great things to come… be it a fantastic vacation or lazing about in my room, watching Tobuscus game walkthroughs. haha

I must thank you all again for making the writing of my first fan-fic an enjoyable experience! I am grateful for the advice and the fun chats! I drew a picture of the couple, and I posted it on Deviantart. My name is the same on that site (sorachicken) if you care to look it up! :)

So, is this chapter the end? It would seem so… But for a while, I've been pondering writing a one-shot lemon for these two. Ideas have swamped me, and lemons have had this very odd (but MAJOR!) effect on my life, and I can't exactly picture myself _not_ writing one. I look forward to writing again soon, and I hope that for those of you who liked this story will follow me along, or invite me to read your works, also! Until then!

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"Wow, so you finally have a date planned, huh?"

"Yes! One of our neighbors in Oerba -her name is Vallie- just started making the dress," Serah sighed, her cheeks flushed in excitement.

"FINALLY!" Snow pounded the table with his gargantuan fist, causing both Hope and Serah to jump. "It's good to finally have something set in stone, you know?" Serah sighed light-heartedly, resting her chin in her hands.

"Did you tell Light?" Hope questioned. Serah nodded before the question fully came out of the boy's mouth.

"Imagine my surprise! She's all, 'Bout time,'" Snow said, doing an amusing impression of Lightning's voice. "It really _does_ feel like we've waited forever."

Hope didn't hide his happiness for the two. "You guys have a spot picked out?"

Serah's eyes squinted in thought. "Not quite yet… Then again, it doesn't matter that much to us. All that matters is that we're getting married, and we'll be able to start a family. As long as we're all together, anywhere would be special."

Hope grinned, thinking about Snow's and Serah's future children. Hopefully they would borrow a few more traits from their mother than their father… She was much more charming. Hope was then reminded that the children would be related to Light. She would be an aunt. They'd probably even look a bit like her. The thought was blowing Hope's mind.

"When did Sis say she'd come in?" Serah asked, turning to her fiancé.

"Uhh, in an hour, I think," the blonde answered.

"Alright. Well, I should probably get back to work!" she pecked her husband's cheek and stood from the table.

"OH-WOAH-WOAH-WOAH… wait!" Snow abruptly rose from his seat, nearly toppling the chair. "I actually know nothing about this, but-" Hope couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Light went with Sazh to talk to Rosch… it's about something big. Like, they made a pretty huge deal about it and wouldn't even stop to tell me."

"Riveting," Hope chuckled.

"You guys aren't even curious?" Snow seemed dumb-struck.

"It's not that. It's just… they'll probably tell us later, yeah?"

Snow slowly sat down; his excitement evidently squandered.

"Aw, Hope," Serah chastised. She then turned to Snow, "It sounds interesting to _me_," she reassured him.

The burly man appeared less deflated. "Thanks, babe." She smiled at him and headed towards the kitchen, snatching her apron from its hook on the wall.

Snow swiveled in his chair and looked at Hope. "Did Light talk to you last night?"

A blush crept upon Hope's face as he debated whether or not to disclose the details to the man.

"I just overheard Serah talking to her last night when she came by the house," Snow explained, "I listened in… otherwise I kinda kept out of it. But she said that you guys should talk. She mentioned that you went to the old school after dinner. And Light went that way after she left…"

Hope nodded, seeing no reason to hide it. "Yeah, we talked."

"Soooo… I take it it went alright?" When Hope gave him a look, Snow added, "You didn't flinch when we talked about her, just now."

"Mmm." Hope reflected on the night. He wondered if Light had indicated that she was okay with the relationship being public. Then again, he figured that the whole reason she _didn't_ want to be with him was because they'd have to keep things secret. Hope inhaled and faced his friend, a glimmer in his eye. "Can you keep this… _low key_?"

Snow quirked an eyebrow with intrigue. "Hell yes. What the hell is it?"

Hope felt a bit smug, seeing that Snow was not doing the best job containing his interest. The two young men both put on straight faces before Hope continued. "You know yours and Serah's impression about the whole 'unrequited love' thing?" Snow smirked, which Hope figured meant 'yes.' He ran his hand nervously along the back of his neck, "It wasn't unrequited…"

"What!" Snow exploded, his face hardly containing one of the dopiest grins Hope had ever seen. The man then lowered his voice, the grin still plastered to his face, "You're shitting me."

Hope felt like he was going to have a heart attack and burst out laughing and barf all at the same time. Maybe Snow wasn't the right 'first person' to tell. But there wasn't any going back now. "It's kind of complicated… the stuff that happened-"

"_Stuff_?"

"_You know_…" Hope whispered harshly, "the whole thing going on these past couple months? But… we worked it out last night."

Snow thought to himself. "That makes sense. I'm sure there's a lot that needed to be worked out, and… SHIT! I keep forgetting we're talking about Lightning! Holy crap, Hope. I can't believe that _you_…" Snow bit his fist, holding back a laugh. "I kind of thought she'd grow up to be a grumpy old woman. Well, not really. I always _said_ that to her. But I figured she'd end up with some grumpy old man, if anyone. Some stiff. A commanding officer or something. But man… You may get grumpy sometimes, Hope, but you're definitely _not_ an old man."

A sheepish expression crossed over Hope's face.

Snow calmed himself, then gave Hope as serious a look as he could muster, "I'm glad it's you. Honestly, if she doesn't care about _that_, I sure as hell don't. You guys are just different. Know what I mean? In fact… it's kind of a miracle you found each other."

"You think so?" Hope asked, though he already believed the man.

"Sure. I mean, something must be pretty right about you two, for you to get past everything else. Think if you were still the same person you were before the Purge. You wouldn't have looked at an older girl, right? Definitely not a soldier. And Light… she wouldn't look at _anybody_." Snow shook his head. "I can't believe it…"

The two sat in silence for a while. Snow was still astounded, while Hope was simply relieved. He figured that eventually, the shock value would wear off. Someday, this would be normal. "Hey Snow," Hope spoke up.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for taking it well. It… really means a lot."

Snow smiled and laid a hand firmly on Hope's shoulder. "It's like Serah said: You're special. You can always trust her to be right about that kind of thing."

Hope exhaled, happy that Snow was on his side. '_One down_.'

…

Taejin's Tower stood proud, backed by a fiery sunset. Hope dabbed his bandana at the side of his face as a bead of sweat rolled down his cheek. It was becoming apparent that the summer weather occupied almost half of the year on Pulse.

"AH!" Hope yelped as hot wind swept dust into his eye. He jogged the rest of the way to the tower's entrance, eager to escape the desert.

"Hope Estheim, right?" a soldier commented at his approach.

Hope paused. "Yeah, that's me."

The soldier nodded. "Did your friends tell you the news, yet?"

"What news?"

"Heh," the soldier chuckled, "It's hot off the press, so to speak. I was lucky to overhear it. Some civs were located about forty miles east of here. They've built homes... like, a whole village along the coast. Been here since some of the first Purges ever started."

"Really?" Hope set down his belongings, his interest piqued by the information. "How come we didn't find them till now?"

"Ah, who knows. But Mr. Katzroy? He can tell you how we found 'em. Anyway, Captain is planning on passing the news along tomorrow. I'm sure you'll hear all about it."

"Thanks!" Hope waved and made a motion to go inside the tower.

"Woah, hold on," the soldier raised a hand. "They're still in there, getting everything prepped. I'll have to ask you to wait out here."

"Oh," Hope slumped his shoulders. He then walked over to a rocky wall and leaned his body against it in wait. He talked for a while longer with the soldier, whose name was Vance. The sun had all but disappeared when Sazh and Lightning emerged from the entrance, Rosch in between the two.

"Have a nice evening," the silver-haired man gave a quick bow before returning inside.

"Captain," the two teammates said in unison.

Hope perked up, and grabbed his duffle off the ground. "Hey!" he called to them.

"Heyyy!" Sazh raised his arms in his usual way of greeting. Light turned to him with question written on her face. She zoned in on two extra bags he was carrying with him.

"I brought you guys some dinner," Hope explained, holding the two sacks out to them, "You never came in for lunch and it was getting late."

"Thank you, Hope," Lightning smiled at his thoughtfulness.

"What she said!" Sazh said while untying the opening to his meal.

Hope bid Vance farewell, and the three walked to the Sulyya Springs, taking refuge in the cool, damp caverns. Hope laid out his blanket so their seating was more comfortable. Sazh was already halfway through his meal by the time they sat down. Hope went to the water's edge and dunked his hands into the spring, splashing it on his face in an attempt to remove the red desert dust that had undoubtedly settled there. He wiped the excess water with his sleeve, then sat down with his friends.

"So, Sazh… Vance told me about your big discovery. You allowed to talk about it?" Hope asked.

"Of course! What do you wanna know?"

"Um… everything?"

"Alright, alright…" he finished a bite of roast beef sandwich and began to share his news. "Well, this past month, I've been sending the more experienced chocobos on scout missions, right? Kind of just to survey the land… make finds and all that." The man waved his hand making clear that this information was beside the point. "Anyway. Two days ago, one of the chocobos came back and he had a written message tucked into his harness. Yesterday, I sent him back on the same course, with a message I wrote in return. This morning, I got a message back, detailing the existence of a village on the East coast."

"About two thousand live there," Lightning added, "all of them are civilians that had been deported in Purges past. They were here, even before we became l'Cie."

"So… how come we didn't know about them until now?" Hope pondered aloud.

"For the most part, it's because we didn't think to look for survivors. And neither did they. They saw Cocoon fall… and I guess they figured that they were the last people alive," Sazh informed.

A chill ran down Hope's spine. He could imagine what it was like for them. After all, he and his mother had nearly been Purged, too. He remembered being on that train, wondering what Pulse would be like. But most of all, he had been angry at the unfairness of it all. Officials kept saying how it was "the will of the citizens" for them to be Purged, as though they were a pack of diseased animals. But everyone on those trains were citizens, too. Hope had envied the people who were able to go on living a normal life while he, a normal boy, would probably die on Hell. If he survived and ended up with the rest of the Purged civilians, he would have lived there thinking he had been cheated; probably wishing revenge on the small planet. But then, to see it fall like that, and turn completely into crystal… he would've thought everyone had died. With the roles switched, he would've considered himself lucky to be Purged.

"Isn't it crazy how we keep making it through the end of the world?" Hope offered his mindset. "When I was on the Purge train, when we became l'Cie, and when we fought Orphan… I thought it was the end."

"Lady Luck is on our side, remember?" Sazh chuckled, crumbs of bread tumbling off of the sandwich as he flung his arms about for emphasis.

"Guess that's one way to look at it," Lightning stated, thoughtful.

"Aw, come on, Soldier Girl. Why you gotta bring down the mood?"

"I'm not trying to," Lightning said calmly, "It's just, a lot of people died. And lot of lives were ruined. All at the will of Orphan." A note of hatred peaked as she said the Fal'Cie's name.

"True, true," Sazh nodded, knowing where she was coming from. "But then again, everything could have been destroyed. All of us, all of Cocoon and Pulse? We did all we could."

Lightning hummed in response and continued eating her dinner. Hope thought of his home in Palumpolum, and a pang of sadness penetrated his chest. Sometimes he would think of Pulse as temporary, almost as though it was separate from reality. In reality, on Cocoon… there were millions of people. There was his family, waiting for him to come home from school. There was a new day, waiting for him to wake up to it. But reality and the dream had been switched. In this world, his home and his family and millions of Cocoon citizens did not exist. This reality, at times, was a slap in the face.

Hope swallowed and pushed the thoughts out of his mind. This life was okay. He had people who cared about him. And even if the memories always lingered, he could still push forward and find happiness.

"Say, Hope," Sazh spoke up, "Tomorrow, a few of us are going to saddle up the chocobos and meet up with the Purge survivors. Wanna come with?"

"Yeah, you should come with us," Lightning agreed.

Hope said he would. And although he wouldn't admit it, it was mostly because he knew Light would be there.

…

Sazh left to pick up Dajh and go home, leaving the two by themselves. Lightning suggested they visit Serah before settling down for the night.

Upon reaching her home, Serah greeted her sister with a warm embrace. Snow mimicked her actions, assaulting Hope with a bone-crushing hug. The younger Farron sister flitted off to a corner of the house, where the kitchenette was located, and put a pot of tea on the stove. Meanwhile, Lightning relayed the information about Sazh's discovery to the couple, while Hope sprawled out on the rug, only half paying attention to the news.

"Woah!" Snow pounded a fist into his palm, "That's awesome!"

"So, what's going to happen, now? Do you think people will start moving out there?" Serah asked. Lightning shrugged.

"We'll have to see. But tomorrow, a few of us are going out there to meet them."

"Can I go?" Snow begged.

"Not a chance. We don't want to scare them," Lightning teased. Everyone in the room laughed as Snow slumped against the couch in defeat. Soon, the man saw fit to change the subject.

"So Sis… tell us the gory details between you and Hope."

"Oh!" Serah clapped her hands together, "That's right. Snow said that Hope told him about you two..."

Lightning glanced over at the guilty party who turned away bashfully. Looking back at the couple, she stated, "Whatever Hope told you is all you need to know. Otherwise, the rule here is you don't tell me about your love life, and I won't tell you about mine."

"Aww," Serah moaned, "But that's just a double-negative for me! I was hoping one day we'd have some heart-to-hearts, Claire."

"You know that's not my style, Serah," Lightning smirked, denying her sister.

"Welllllllll," Snow interjected, "what if I were to tell you that Hope said you guys do the nasty?" Hope's mouth fell open.

"Oh Snow!" Serah smacked his arm, earning a laugh from the blonde.

"Whatever," Lightning brushed him off, never gullible enough to fuel Snow's jokes.

"Please," Serah lightly touched her sister's hand. Lightning groaned, realizing her sister was going in for the kill, using her glistening blue eyes and pouting lips to get her way.

"So unfair," Lightning mumbled. "Alright. Serah, I'll talk to you _alone_. Hope, you can take care of the meatloaf over there," she said nodding in Snow's -who was frowning from the 'meatloaf' comment- direction. Serah led the way to the back porch of the house. Lightning followed behind, glancing back at Hope, who looked like he had just been handed the short end of the stick. In all honesty, Hope would be able to handle the guy-talk a lot better than her. And while girl-talk wasn't exactly her forte, she knew she needed to talk to Serah about this.

Lightning sat down on one of the patio chairs while Serah seated herself across from her. The older sibling fumbled with a loose thread at the end of her skirt.

"Serah, be honest with me… does this look bad? You're the one person outside of this whose opinion matters to me." She looked into her sister's eyes, yearning for her to be honest.

"Oh, not to me, Claire. I can't speak for everyone, but you know me. I'm a romantic," the girl pleasantly pointed out.

Lightning chuckled, "Yeah, I know it."

"You care about who you care about. It's like that old quote about how 'love is blind'," Serah consoled her older sister.

"Tch, I never paid attention to those cheesy sayings."

"Maybe... now is the time to."

"Guess so," the young woman turned and watched the stars begin to prick at the sky like push-pins. The evening breathed cool air across Oerba; soothing, in comparison to the day's earlier heat. "How did you know you were in love with Snow?" Lightning asked.

"Hmmm," Serah thought to herself, rocking back in her chair, "I guess… I just woke up and I knew. I realized I trusted him with everything, and I knew that nobody could make me see him different from what I saw. You may not believe me, but he's very deep. He wasn't afraid to share with me what he couldn't share with anyone."

Despite all the teasing, and her initial impression of Snow, Lightning knew her sister was right. There was more to him than stupid jokes and big muscles. He proved how much he cared for Serah, and proved how capable of a man he was on their journey together.

"How about you, Sis?"

"Hm?"

"I really want to know everything. How did it happen with you two?"

"I-it's not all that interesting…" Lightning blushed.

Serah waited patiently. Obviously, she didn't care whether or not Lightning found the topic to be of interest. Her sister being in love was fascinating all on its own.

Lightning rested her chin on her curled fist, searching for the right way to explain. She didn't recall a phase of crushing on Hope, or a period of making the transition from big-sister-figure to "lover." The ex-soldier closed her lids, her rosy-brown lashes concealing her eyes. "Is it strange that I can't think of something specific?"

"What do you mean?"

Lightning shifted in her seat, still unsure of how to make sense of her thoughts. "I mean… I know at one point I saw him as a sibling I wanted to protect. But once his feelings became clear, I was already on the same page. The transition was so clean, it was practically invisible. In the beginning, I learned to like him as a companion. But from then on, it's like I always felt the same about him. I loved him then, and I love him now, in a different way. But it's as though nothing changed. It was just… natural? Maybe something was always there? I don't know. I don't know anything about this…"

Serah giggled. "Don't get so frustrated. I'm following."

Lightning's head bolted up as she heard the back door open.

"Sorry. Just me," Hope said stepping toward the sisters, holding a tray outward. "I brought the tea."

"Ah! I can't believe I forgot," Serah stood up to help steady the tray holding two overflowing mugs. "Thank you, Hope."

"How's it going in there?" Lightning asked.

"Not bad," Hope shrugged, "He's being a good guy about it." He then wrung his hands together and blushed. "Sorry for telling, Light."

"Don't worry about it," she gave him a soft smile. "Just distract him for a little while longer. We're almost done out here."

"You got it!" Hope stated confidently while returning inside. As soon as the back door clicked shut, Lightning turned her attention back to her sister. Serah smiled at her, and the two sipped quietly at their tea.

"I'll figure it out," Lightning decided. "Just help me out, okay? I don't want to mess up."

"Of course," Serah scooted out of her chair and hugged her sister. "Just promise to keep me updated. It was weird when you two weren't talking. I can't help if _we_ don't talk, either!"

"I know. I promise."

…

The house slowly became a part of the backdrop for Hope and Lightning as they walked down the pathway to the schoolhouse. The silence was comfortable, especially after the couple had earned the loving support of Snow and Serah. The air couldn't feel much lighter between the two.

"Light, wait," Hope said, stopping in his tracks.

"Hm?"

"Why don't we… sleep under Cocoon, tonight?"

"Good idea," Lightning agreed, remembering something that had been prodding her mind for weeks, now. Something important she had to tell Hope. The two used a waystone to reach the Archylte Steppe and then walked the rest of the way to the base of the statuesque Cocoon. Lightning helped Hope set out their blankets so they could lay down comfortably. The night was still and quiet, as though the world had paused for them. Their surroundings were washed in dark blue eventide.

"How is Rosch?" Hope decided to get this topic out of the way, first. He laid on his side, facing Light as she placed her belongings several feet away.

The young woman laid down and curled her body into a gentle 'c' shape. "He's fine. He doesn't know about us yet, but he'll realize eventually. When he does… he'll be okay. Rosch and I didn't even get all that close to each other. It won't be much of a loss for him."

"That's a relief. I was afraid he'd come after me with The Proudclad," Hope joked referring to the immense machine Rosch had fought them with on numerous occasions.

Lightning chuckled, "I don't think you'll have to worry about that."

Hope smiled at her. "Hey, you can come closer if you like," he said, resting his hand on the space next to him. Lightning was silently pleased with the request; she complied, shifting closer to the handsome boy. She allowed herself to seriously look at him. His rounded, but defined jaw. His milk-white hair sweetly framing his face. The rest of it ruffled about his head, as though someone had roughly tousled it. His lips and cheeks, peach-pink. His boyish face, perfectly endearing. Lightning closed her eyes. Hope had romanced her, somehow. But when she looked back again, all she saw was that once she learned to like him, she liked everything about him. Age had been a noticeable factor, then. She figured it was the same for him. 'He's young, and he needs my help,' was the thought that ran through her head at that time. But eventually, he stopped needing her as a protector, and he chose to need her as a part of his life. To Lightning, the only need in life was a purpose… or a Focus of some sort. But she had grown to need him, too. She recalled, amidst their "break up," when she had smiled at him. It was a thing she felt comfortable sharing with Hope, even if they couldn't be more than friends. But he had been too hurt to acknowledge her… to smile back… to look at her…

Having this simple gesture rejected left her depraved and empty in a way she was startled to discover.

Now, here he was, smiling before her, and she felt whole and right. Lightning wasn't entirely comfortable relying on Serah's "love is blind" theory. And she wasn't romantic enough to believe in fate, as she had spent her whole life forging her own path. Maybe it was just like Hope had said: they were at the same place in life. She had been socially inept, and he had been weak. But they became pivotal catalysts in each other's growth. He was stronger, and she was more gentle.

Hope, who was unaware of her train of thought, inched forward slightly and stroked his slender fingers along her upper arm. Lightning decided to bring her introspection to a close for now. So what if she couldn't figure out when she started loving Hope? She knew _why _she loved him. And she couldn't think of anything that mattered more than being with him, now.

"Tomorrow," Hope breathed, "I think a lot will change…"

Lightning looked at him for a moment, then finally caught on to his meaning. He was referring to their rendezvous with the other inhabitants of Pulse.

"For the better," he added with a note of hopefulness.

"We might have a difficult mark on our hands," Lightning voiced her thoughts. She then noticed the confusion on Hope's face. "Apparently there is a waystone close to the village. Aside from the fact that most people steered clear of it because it was a 'l'Cie artifact' -or whatever- it's supposed to be dangerous. The mark that the waystone described had been spotted stalking the outer edges of the coast, and no one has gone near it. Who knows how much combat training any of these people have? But we still need to go in with caution."

"Ah," Hope replied.

"You up for it?"

"Of course!"

Lightning smiled, proud that Hope wasn't afraid of the challenge.

"I wonder if more people are out there?" Hope rolled onto his back, musing this idea.

"Probably," Lightning stated simply. "As time goes on, we'll keep making new discoveries. This planet is new… there's a lot to learn."

"Yeah."

The two rested on their backs, comfortably observing Cocoon above their heads. Then, a tiny pang of guilt hit Lightning. The thing she had to tell Hope… eventually, she'd have to tell the others, too. But he needed to know first.

"Hope?" she said softly, turning on her side to face him again. "I'm… going to leave, soon."

"You don't want to sleep here?" the boy yawned, rolling toward her.

"I don't mean now," she gave an uncomfortable glance at her feet, "I'm… going to look for a way to bring them back. Fang and Vanille."

The fifteen-year-old only stared at her, not giving any indication as to how he felt. Lightning decided to continue, anyway.

"I've been thinking about it for a long time, now. I'm going to journey… to find a way to wake them up. They don't deserve to keep having their lives end. There's more for them than 'sleep eternal.'"

Hope's eyes narrowed. She waited for his response, this time, gauging his reaction. "You're… more than right, Light." She released a sigh, grateful for his understanding. "It's just hard for me to swallow. Uh, not just because of _us_. But… how will you do it? Is it even an option… waking them up? And if we wake them… it's possible that Cocoon will come crashing down too, right?"

"I'm not sure. But I'll figure something out. This world is vast and filled with wisdom from time's beginning."

Hope bit his lip. "What about your sister's wedding?"

"I'll be here for it," Lightning assured him. "I won't leave until Snow proves that he's kept his promise to my sister." Although she already believed he would, she could never miss Serah's wedding. It was too important.

Hope's eyes brimmed with dry tears. His face became vulnerable. "I know you'll say no… but I'm begging you to let me help you." When he stared into her eyes, he saw her firm resolve that only confirmed his suspicions. His head bobbed down. "I'm afraid I won't see you again."

"Believe, Hope. And know, I'll be giving my all to either stay safe or fight for my life… because I have you to come home to."

Hope gritted his teeth, doing his best not to cry in front of her. "Damn it, Claire." He looked her in the eyes. "You better do just that!"

Lightning couldn't help but smile in amusement at his seriousness. She rested her hand on his in a comforting gesture. In her heart, she knew that the two of them were destined to meet overwhelming odds… to head the movement of the world. But that was because the biggest obstacles always met those with strength enough to overcome them.

"Ease up," she said softly, meeting her forehead to his, "Right now, Hope, it's just us."


End file.
